The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, the First Women to Run the Boston Marathon

by Kristina Yee, Frances Poletti, Susanna Chapman (Illustrator)

Overview

"“She said she would do it, she wasn’t a liar; she’d show them by running like the wind in the fire.” When Bobbi Gibb saw the Boston Marathon her mind was set—she had to be a part of it. She trained hard, journeying across America to run on all kinds of terrain. But when the time came to apply for the marathon, she was refused entry. They told her girls don’t run, girls can’t run. That didn’t stop Bobbi.

This picture book tells the true story of how she broke the rules in 1966 and how, one step at a time, her grit and determination changed the world. Created in collaboration with Bobbi Gibb and the perfect gift for would-be runners, kids of all ages, and everyone out there with a love of sport."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943200474
Publisher:	Compendium, Incorporated, Publishing & Communications
Publication date:	06/15/2017
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee are the authors of Miss Todd and Her Wonderful Flying Machine, as well as the co-writers of the Student Academy® Award-winning short film Miss Todd, on which the book is based. They collaborate across the Irish Sea, with Frances in London and Kristina in Dublin. They both love writing, cups of tea, and above all, a good story.

Editorial Reviews

06/05/2017
The authors behind Miss Todd and Her Wonderful Flying Machine present a tense and uplifting portrait of Bobbi Gibb, who snuck onto the course of the 1966 Boston Marathon and became the first woman to run the race. Chapman’s feathery watercolors are infused with a sense of motion: a fiery ribbon trails behind Gibbs as she races across the pages. Gibbs’s initial disappointment after being denied entry to the marathon is short-lived: disguised by a hooded sweatshirt, she sprints her way into history; a four-panel gatefold celebrates the moment she crosses the finish line. Closing notes and a timeline provide additional glimpses of Gibbs’s accomplishments on and off the track. Ages 5–10. (June)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2017
Gr 3 Up—In this lively narrative, the authors recount the true story of Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. Growing up in the 1950s, young Gibb loved to run "into the woods, over the hills, through the fields and by streams." Years later, when she went to Boston to watch the marathon with her father, the young woman was enthralled and later resolved to enter the race. Despite her parents' objections ("Good girls don't run"), she began to train, traveling across the country to practice on different terrains. Her race application was rejected ("Women cannot run marathons"), but undaunted, Gibb disguised herself as a man and joined the runners at the starting line. As the miles flew by and the temperature rose, she had to shed her bulky sweatshirt and reveal her true identity. As she crossed the finish line, history was made. The story is accompanied by rhyming lines of verse that capture Gibb's unquenchable need to run. The old-fashioned charm of the softly colored retro illustrations reflects the essence and style of a bygone era. In a particularly appealing spread, Gibb runs by Wellesley College, buoyed by the support of the coeds. Their words of encouragement are printed above the scene in an eye-catching script. An appended biographical note and time line provide a brief history of the famous race. VERDICT Bobbi Gibb's unrelenting determination will resonate with readers of all ages who dream of accomplishing a seemingly unattainable goal. A pleasing addition to biography and sports collections.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston

School Library Journal

★ 2017-04-26
In cooperation with Gibb herself, Poletti and Yee tell the story of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, questioning authority with her feet.The Boston Marathon had been taking place for 70 years when Bobbi Gibb, a white woman, steps illegally to the starting line in 1966, a hoodie covering her hair. Her road there is strewn with the land mines of bias, everything from "So unladylike" to the official comments on the rejection to her application: "Women cannot run marathons. It's against the rules." Poletti and Yee neatly evoke the joy some find in running, simply running. Gibb "ran with her pack, going higher and higher, / the world whooshing by, like the wind in the fire." Such couplets are found every few pages, the last four words the refrain. Readers gain a sense of the experience through Chapman's artwork, the light-footed energy of the watercolors slipping outside the pen's fine line, a veil of wind trailing behind Gibb. Halfway through the race her ruse is up. She is boiling in her hoodie and confides to a fellow marathoner, a black man, that she is afraid of ejection. "We won't let anyone throw you out; it's a free road." Well-told and illustrated, Gibb's story speaks to not only women's fight for equality, but the power of community. (biographical note, timeline) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews