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Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth

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Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth

Hardcover

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Hardcover
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Overview

Little Friedrich Müller was a puny weakling who longed to be athletic and strong like the ancient Roman gladiators. He exercised and exercised. But he to no avail.

As a young man, he found himself under the tutelage of a professional body builder. Friedrich worked and worked. He changed his name to Eugen Sandow and he got bigger and stronger. Everyone wanted to become “as strong as Sandow.”

Inspired by his own experiences body-building, Don Tate tells the story of how Eugen Sandow changed the way people think about strength and exercise and made it a part of everyday life.

Backmatter includes more information about Sandow, suggestions for exercise, an author’s note, and a bibliography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580896283
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Don Tate is the author and illustrator of Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (Peachtree), for which he received the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. He received the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor for It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw (Lee & Low), illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Tate is also the illustrator of several picture books, including Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Eerdmans), and The Cart That Carried Martin. Don lives in Austin, Texas.

Read an Excerpt

In his day Eugen Sandow was known as "the Strongest Man on Earth." He could break metal chains by expanding his broad chest. He could hoist a grand piano over his head. He boasted that he once wrestled a five-hundred-pound lion. No doubt Eugen Sandow was hte strongest of all strongmen. But he wasn't always strong.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

07/03/2017
Tate (Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions) sheds light on a fascinating Victorian-era celebrity: Eugen Sandow (born in 1867 Prussia as Friedrich Wilhelm Müller), who helped usher in competitive bodybuilding. “Skinny” and “feeble” as a child, Sandow was fascinated by the physiques of classical statues, and he parleyed that interest into a career, ditching university to become a circus acrobat before embracing a life as an artist’s model, weightlifter, and performer. At one event in New York City, Sandow’s feats of strength led to gasps and faints, though perhaps due to his physicality: “His chiseled muscles were things of beauty.” Strong, crayonlike lines bring definition to those muscles in Tate’s dynamic illustrations, and closing pages detail the not-always-reliable information available about Sandow, Tate’s bodybuilding past, and exercises for young readers. Ages 6–9. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

The life of Eugen Sandow (1867–1925), a Victorian-era bodybuilding superstar dubbed “the Modern Hercules,” is rife with mystery. Not only did his family destroy his belongings after his death, but articles and books on Sandow are often contradictory. Tate (a former bodybuilder himself ) reconciles these challenges by telling the story as “Sandow would have wanted it told”—with drama and flair. This decision could have easily resulted in an over-the-top portrayal of the subject; instead, Tate’s chronological narrative portrays an ambitious, hardworking showman with a drive for excellence—from “feeble” boy to acrobat, strongman, fitness guru, and creator of the first organized bodybuilding contest. And although admiring of Sandow’s impressive physique and strength, Tate is skeptical of the man’s purported antics (such as defeating a lion). Tate argues that Sandow was more than just a strongman; that his attention to both mind and body inspired the people of his time—and can inspire people today—to devote “more attention to their own health.” The digital illustrations—rendered in a gentle, textured black outline housing a warm color palette—show an approachable version of the athlete. Additionally, decorative caption boxes and some stylized lettering (seen on marquees and banners) help develop a period feel. Back matter includes an afterword, exercise techniques, a bibliography, an author’s note, and quotation sources. A powerful pairing with Meghan McCarthy’s Strong Man and Nicolas Debon’s The Strongest Man in the World. —Horn Book STARRED REVIEW

Sparked by his own passion for bodybuilding and physical fitness, Tate recounts the story of Eugen Sandow (1867–1925) in this inspirational picture book. The biography begins during Sandow’s childhood in Prussia, where he used sports and exercise to develop from a frail, skinny child into a robust, physically active young man and later into a world-famous strongman in the United States, with his own successful business enterprise. The text progresses chronologically, with references to various geographic settings and specific historical events. Tate’s mixed-media illustrations feature characters, especially Sandow, with oversize, highly expressive faces. The muted colors are appropriate to the historical setting. The artwork is chock-full of humorous, cartoonish details that greatly enhance the story. In the afterword, Tate provides additional biographical information on both Sandow and himself. He includes a few simple exercises for kids and a well-developed bibliography. This title would be a good companion to Meghan McCarthy’s Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas, reinforcing the themes of physical fitness and the importance of healthy choices. VERDICT An excellent introduction to a historical figure that will appeal not only to children already interested in sports and fitness but also to those in need of encouragement.
—School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2017
Gr 1–4—Sparked by his own passion for bodybuilding and physical fitness, Tate recounts the story of Eugen Sandow (1867–1925) in this inspirational picture book. The biography begins during Sandow's childhood in Prussia, where he used sports and exercise to develop from a frail, skinny child into a robust, physically active young man and later into a world-famous strongman in the United States, with his own successful business enterprise. The text progresses chronologically, with references to various geographic settings and specific historical events. Tate's mixed-media illustrations feature characters, especially Sandow, with oversize, highly expressive faces. The muted colors are appropriate to the historical setting. The artwork is chock-full of humorous, cartoonish details that greatly enhance the story. In the afterword, Tate provides additional biographical information on both Sandow and himself. He includes a few simple exercises for kids and a well-developed bibliography. This title would be a good companion to Meghan McCarthy's Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas, reinforcing the themes of physical fitness and the importance of healthy choices. VERDICT An excellent introduction to a historical figure that will appeal not only to children already interested in sports and fitness but also to those in need of encouragement.—Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library

School Library Journal

2017-05-24
Tate introduces his readers to one of the first international sports stars in a well-researched biography of bodybuilding strongman Eugen Sandow. Friedrich Wilhelm Müller began life in Prussia as a weak and sickly child who longed for activity. A boyhood trip to Italy changed Friedrich's life when he learned about the gladiators of Rome and their belief in daily strenuous exercise. Tate explores Müller's life as a student, circus performer, and model as he grows (pun absolutely intended) into the professional strongman Eugen Sandow. Digitally created illustrations use dramatic grainy shadows that suggest the inky carbon smudges of old newspaper photos. As in many old newspapers, all the characters depicted in the story are white. Tate wisely introduces some diversity in the backmatter by showing a multiracial group of boys and girls as models for four simple exercises. The other strongmen that appear in the book present a range of physiques, a nicely designed if subtle hat tip to the idea that fitness can be reflected in different weights and sizes. Additional backmatter includes an afterword on Sandow's life, Tate's relationship with the sport of bodybuilding, and a bibliography that includes web links when possible. The only thing that's missing is a timeline, a feature that is always appreciated. Readers will find parallels with Meghan McCarthy's picture-book biography of Charles Atlas, Strong Man (2007), but Tate's celebration of Eugen Sandow makes a solid addition to any biography section. (Picture book/biography. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews