Ready, Set, Run!: The Amazing New York City Marathon

by Leslie Kimmelman, Jessie Hartland (Illustrator)

Overview

A lively nonfiction picture book about runners preparing for, and racing in, the New York City Marathon, perfect for fans of Balloons Over Broadway and The Philharmonic Gets Dressed.

All over the world—on city roads and country lanes, on beaches, high in the mountains, across fields, in sun, rain, and late at night, people get ready to race. It’s a BIG DEAL to run in the New York City Marathon!
In this energetic and ever-so-fun nonfiction picture book about the world's most famous race, readers follow runners from all over the world as they stretch, make their playlist, eat a spaghetti dinner, and then pound, pound, pound through the five boroughs of New York City, all the way to the finish line.
With fun facts throughout ("Since 1979, a high school band stationed at Mile 9 plays the “Rocky” theme song again and again until the last runners go by"), this is an exhilarating, inside-view of what it entails to run the world's largest marathon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593433652
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/01/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	390,885
Product dimensions:	11.31(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Leslie Kimmelman is an accomplished author of 40 picturebooks under her own name, as well as many works for hire under pseudonyms. Her work has garnered a Sydney Taylor honor and three Sydney Taylor Notable citations. In addition, Leslie worked at Sesame Workshop for 25 years, where she created the autistic character, Julia. Her work on Sesame Street’s autism initiative received a Smithsonian Ingenuity Award. Visit her online at lesliekimmelman.net.

Jessie Hartland a New York City based artist, and writer and illustrator of books for children. Her books include Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery, which was featured on Humans of New York, Steve Jobs: Insanely Great and Bon Apetit!, about Julia Child. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale's, and put her mark on ceramics, watches, and all sorts of other things. She has done drawings for many magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids and Bon Appetit. Visit her on the Web at jessiehartland.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 06/05/2023

“It’s a BIG DEAL to run in the New York City Marathon,” but conversational prose by Kimmelman (The Eight Knights of Hanukkah) and naïf-style gouache vignettes from Hartland (Alice Waters Cooks Up a Food Revolution) make this world-famous sporting event feel relatable to young readers—from training and race-eve prep (“Some eat big spaghetti dinners”) to the moment when an exhausted but happy runner falls asleep still holding a participant’s medal (“What a city! What a day!”). Callouts labeled “EXTRA!” throughout add facts, but the focus—including a wonderful gatefold of the race’s start (“poundpoundpoundpoundpound”)—stays mostly on the stampede of runners of varying abilities, ages, body types, and skin tones. Spreads that align with the real event’s lively spirit overview the race’s route while spotlighting participants moving fast and slow, in costume and not, for good causes and to settle a rivalry (“Who’s faster, police officers or firefighters?”). As all of New York gets caught up in the excitement—with onlookers waving cheeky signs (“You are NOT almost there”) and shouting “Keepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoingkeepgoing!”—readers are likely to break into a cheer as well. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Amy Stern, Sheldon Fogelman Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "As all of New York gets caught up in the excitement....readers are likely to break into a cheer as well."  —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A fresh, buoyant high stepper.” —Kirkus Reviews

"This attractive picture book introduces marathons to children." —Booklist

From the Publisher

2023-05-09
A celebration of the world’s largest annual race.

“It’s a BIG DEAL to run in the New York City Marathon,” Kimmelman burbles—going on to describe how runners from more than 100 countries stretch, add tunes to their playlists, put on their lucky socks, or otherwise prepare and then gather in the thousands at the Staten Island starting area to, at the blast of a cannon, “poundpoundpoundpoundpound…” their way over the 26.2 mile course to its finish in Central Park. Tongue firmly in cheek, Hartland portrays massed clumps and drawn-out strings of participants diverse of age, race, and body type, some using wheelchairs, some in costumes, streaming over bridges or up and down city streets past both the occasional inset fact box and spectators cheering them on with signs (“Keep Going!”; “Go César!”; “You are NOT almost there”; “This is a lot of work for a free banana”) and snacks. At the finish line, it’s leafy crowns for the winners but “medals for everyone!” and a slow, weary wind down. “What a city! What a day! What an amazing race!” It all goes by too fast for readers to feel as if they’ve actually run the course…but could well leave them ready to try, one day. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fresh, buoyant high stepper. (afterword, selected sources) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews