Splash!

October 3, 2022
Narrating via historical vignettes, Boxer pays homage to the grit of decorated female swimmer Ethelda Bleibtrey (1902–1978). The story begins in 1917 Brooklyn with a view of the protagonist, “spine curved from a disease called polio,” taking to the water per a doctor’s recommendation. Other episodes include her 1919 arrest for removing her swimming socks (typical attire of the day for women); her gold-medal-winning swims at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp; an illicit dive into the Central Park Reservoir, which prompted the creation of N.Y.C.’s first large public pool; and pictures of the figure as a nurse, helping children “believe in their bodies” through swimming. While little time is spent on her path to the Olympics, a repeated refrain ties everything together: “It felt like flying./ It felt like freedom./ It felt like home.” Baddeley layers washes of color for an immersive effect that aptly captures the feeling of being underwater. An author’s note concludes. Ages 7–8.

July 1, 2022
Grades 1-3 A child with polio, Ethelda Bleibtrey enjoyed the freedom of movement that she found only in a swimming pool. As a teenager in 1919, she defied an ordinance requiring women to wear socks when in the ocean. Her arrest led to the end of an outdated law. The following year, she swam on the U.S. Olympic team and broke the record in each event, becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal in swimming and the first woman ever to earn first-place finishes in every swimming event. In adulthood, she worked as a nurse while promoting greater access to public swimming pools and teaching many children to enjoy swimming. The back matter fills in additional biographical details. Baddeley's colorful illustrations create an upbeat tone, and the underwater scenes are particularly effective. Showing respect for the line between fact and storytelling, the straightforward narrative delivers information about Bleibtrey's life while distinguishing the occasional fictionalized words or comments with italics or by placement within speech balloons. This picture--book biography celebrates a little-known American athlete.

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August 1, 2022

Gr 2-4-This inspirational picture book biography shares the life journey of the Olympic swimming gold medalist and polio survivor who challenged social norms and fought for equality for women. In 1917, Ethelda Bleibtrey was a teenage girl with polio growing up in New York City, feeling exhaustive pain and weakness in her arms and legs. Doctor-recommended swimming gave her an exhilarating sense of freedom that she had never known. As she grew older, swimming became the means through which Bleibtrey pursued issues surround women's equality. She thought it was unfair that women had to swim with knee socks while men swam with bare legs, so she followed suit and was arrested for it. As the news spread, women began to remove their own socks, and eventually the police gave up trying to keep track of infractions of the antiquated rule. Bleibtrey then built a career in competitive swimming and blew through previous records. Baddeley's artwork fuels the narrative and gives structure to the book, depicting a woman with fierce determination and pluck; the art impressively interprets water as expressive, using its dynamism and reflective qualities almost as another character to expand what readers know about Bleibtrey herself. VERDICT With illustrations and text fully grounded in research, including welcome historical details and photographs that appear in the back matter, this book is heartily recommended for elementary nonfiction collections.-Lauren Younger

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2022
Splash! One brave girl finds her own power and freedom in swimming--and beyond. Boxer and Baddeley tell the story of Ethelda Bleibtrey, who survived polio as a teenager to become an accomplished athlete and nurse. After Ethelda is left physically limited by polio in 1917, her doctors suggest swimming as therapy--and it works. Ethelda feels at home in the water, free and mobile...and powerful. Ethelda fights gender inequality by protesting sexist double standards for swimming costumes; she also competes in the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, where she becomes the first American woman to win a gold medal in swimming. She goes on to live a life of public advocacy and supports children as a nurse. A keystone of her work becomes helping children recover their belief in their bodies through aquatic therapy. Backmatter includes an overview of Ethelda's life, complete with photographs, and a note from Boxer about fictionalizing thoughts and dialogue. This compelling story makes full use of the illustrations. The blues and greens of the water reflect both depth and movement and the shift in Ethelda's life from stillness to freedom. The illustrator's use of line is particularly effective, showing Ethelda moving through water and space. Ethelda was White; people who appear in the book are diverse in terms of skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Readers will love reading about this gutsy woman. (Picture-book biography. 6-10)

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