Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman

This award-winning true story of Black Olympic runner Wilma Rudolph, who overcame childhood polio and eventually went on to win three gold medals, is illustrated by Caldecott medal-winning artist David Diaz.

Before Wilma Rudolph was five years old, polio had paralyzed her left leg. Everyone said she would never walk again. But Wilma refused to believe it. Not only would she walk again, she vowed, she'd run. And she did run--all the way to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single Olympiad. This dramatic and inspiring true story is illustrated in bold watercolor and acrylic paintings.


Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 02/01/2000
Pages: 44
Weight: 0.44lbs
Size: 8.30h x 10.80w x 0.20d
ISBN: 9780152020989
Age: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.1
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 13757 / Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman


Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/21/2000 pg. 89
Booklist 03/01/2001 pg. 1280

About the Author
Krull, Kathleen: - Kathleen Krull is well known for her innovative, award-winning nonfiction for young people, including Lives of the Explorers, Lives of the Musicians, and all other books in this popular series illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. She is also the author of Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, as well as The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) and Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country), both co-written with Paul Brewer and illustrated by Stacy Innerst. She lives in San Diego, California. Visit her online at kathleenkrull.com.Diaz, David: -

David Diaz has illustrated numerous award-winning books for children, including Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, for which he was awarded the Caldecott Medal; The Wanderer by Sharon Creech, which received a Newbery Honor; and Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, a Pura Belpré Honor Award winner. An illustrator and graphic designer for more than twenty-five years, he is also a painter and an accomplished ceramic artist. Mr. Diaz lives in Carlsbad, California.