Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas

by Meghan McCarthy

Overview

He could tear phone books in half, bend iron bars into giant Us, and pull a 145,000-pound train with his bare hands. But Charles Atlas wasn't always one of America's most famous strong men. Once upon a time, he was a "97-pound weakling" who was picked on by neighborhood bullies.Using her trademark humor, Meghan McCarthy brings to life the story of Charles Atlas, the man who would become "the World's Most Perfectly Developed Man" and, with his fitness campaign, inspired the entire nation to get in shape, eat right, and take charge of our lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553507850
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/06/2015
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Meghan McCarthy is the author-illustrator of The Adventures of Patty and the Big Red Bus and Aliens Are Coming!, which was praised in a starred review in School Library Journal as, "a unique treatment of a fascinating topic, and sure to have wide appeal." She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Starred review, Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2007:
"[B]oth the humor of the illustrations and the accretion of cool Atlas facts ... keep things light without undercutting the author's genuine admiration for the man."

Starred review, Booklist, June 1 and 15, 2007:
"[A] cheerful introduction to a cultural legend whose messages about self-respect and healthy choices are just as timely today as they were 50 years ago."

Starred review, School Library Journal, July 2007:
"This colorful book captures both the essence and mystique of an American icon."

From the Publisher

2007 Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice, Winner
2007 New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, Winner
South Carolina Children's Book Award, Nominated

From the inspired take on the 1939 War of the Worlds broadcast (Aliens Are Coming!, 2006), McCarthy turns her attention to another icon of 20th-century pop culture, Charles Atlas. Bug-eyed cartoony acrylics depict the arrival on American shores of young Angelo Siciliano and the now-legendary sand-kicking episode on Coney Island's beach: "SPLAT!" Inspired by a statue of Hercules in a museum and a powerful lion at the zoo, he determined to remake himself. Of course, he did, becoming the inspiration for thousands of comics-reading 98-pound weaklings that followed. Such a story could easily be deadly in its virtue, but both the humor of the illustrations and the accretion of cool Atlas facts-he served as the model for over 75 statues around the country; he still reigns as "The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man"-keep things light without undercutting the author's genuine admiration for the man. Comic-strip panels appropriately share the space with traditional spreads and mock black-and-white photographs, delivering a sunny account of Atlas's life and career. An extensive author's note expands on both man and influence; four exercises are also provided. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews