Mabel Fairbanks is not a household name, but young readers interested in figure skating and the early twentieth century will enjoy learning about her story in this picture-book biography. Touching briefly on her younger years as an orphan and her experiences with homelessness, Hubbard's text zeroes in on Mabel's initial foray into figure skating. Moving from a pond in Central Park into an ingenious dry-ice creation in her bedroom, Mabel spins and swirls all around the pages. The simple, no-nonsense illustrations coupled with the longer-form writing allow upper elementary school readers a chance to explore not only a moment in American history but an untold moment in sports history. The prose is welcoming to the reader while still offering some challenging vocabulary related to the sport, and the strong afterword explains why this might be the first time you've seen Mabel Fairbanks on the page. Fans of the Winter Olympics, accounts of historical women, and underdog stories will flock to this title.

A long-overdue spotlight on a trailblazing athlete.Hubbard tells the story of Mabel Fairbanks, the first Black woman to join the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Mabel was born in Florida in 1915 and orphaned at age 8. After moving to New York City to live with relatives, she was briefly homeless before landing a job as a live-in nanny. When the family no longer required Mabel's services, she was taken in by Wally Hunter (known as Uncle Wally), a part-time handyman who lived in the family's building and was the first person who really took care of her. Mabel had always longed to learn to skate, but she was denied admission to the skating rink because she was Black. Uncle Wally, who worked in an ice cream factory, used his knowledge of dry ice to build an in-home skating rink in their apartment, launching a storied career-Mabel would go on to become a legendary athlete and coach who trained Olympians Tai Babilonia, Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Debi Thomas, Rudy Galindo, and Tiffany Chin. Depicting Mabel's frustrations, loneliness, and joy as well as her athletic prowess, Harris' warm, expressive digital illustrations pair well with Hubbard's straightforward yet inspiring text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)An account of a sports pioneer that should be widely read and shared. (afterword, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 6-9)

Perseverance lies at the center of this affecting biography of Mabel Fairbanks (1915–2001), “America’s first Black figure skating star.” Focusing on Fairbanks’s youth, the book begins with its eight-year-old protagonist en route to reside with her brother in N.Y.C. after her parents’ death. When the arrangement fails to work out, she’s briefly left unhoused until a passerby offers her a job nannying, and eventually connects her to a caregiver supportive of her passion for ice-skating, even creating a dry-ice rink in Fairbanks’s room. In matter-of-fact prose, Hubbard depicts the racism Fairbanks confronts when trying to skate at a nearby ice rink: “When Mabel stepped onto the ice, the other skaters stopped to stare at her. Scowling

Gr 1–4 —The life of ice skater Mabel Fairbanks, a tenacious and creative pioneer who faced heavy challenges on her road to becoming America's first Black figure skating star, and who had an impact on many skaters who came after her. Orphaned at a young age and kicked out of the homes of relatives, she ended up sleeping at a church or in Central Park on a bench. She eventually found homes with others—a family in need of a nanny, and later that building's handyman, Uncle Wally. Her proximity to Central Park's ice skating rink led her to purchase a pair of too-large skates from a pawn shop, and her love of skating was born. At the rink she faced racism from her fellow skaters; white parents even forced their children to leave the ice because she was Black. The rink manager was so impressed with her skills that he invited her to come back regardless of policy. She eventually took her own skating tours throughout North America, but she wasn't hired for large professional skating shows due to her skin color. After Fairbanks retired as a skater, she coached other students and gave back in many ways to the figure skating community. Back matter includes an afterword and selected bibliography. Beautifully crafted kinetic illustrations highlighting New York City's locales and its inhabitants are at their finest, and come to life when Fairbanks skates. VERDICT Every twist and turn is captured and the movement is dynamic in this book; a pleasure to read and to share. Highly recommended for early nonfiction collections.—Lauren Younger