When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike

by Michelle Houts, Erica Magnus (Illustrator)

Overview

It took her two tries, but in 1955, sixty-seven-year-old Emma “Grandma” Gatewood became the first woman to solo hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one thru-hike. Gatewood, who left an abusive marriage after raising eleven children, has become a legend for those who hike the trail, and in her home state of Ohio, where she helped found the Buckeye Trail. In recent years, she has been the subject of a bestselling biography and a documentary film.

In When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike, Michelle Houts brings us the first children’s book about her feat, which she accomplished without professional gear or even a tent. Houts chronicles the spirit of a seasoned outdoorswoman and mother of eleven whose grit and determination helped her to hike over two thousand miles. Erica Magnus’s vibrant illustrations capture the wild animals, people from all walks of life, and unexpected challenges that this strong-willed woman encountered on the journey she initially called a “lark.”

Children ages 4–10 will delight in this narrative nonfiction work as they accompany Emma Gatewood on the adventure of a lifetime and witness her transformation from grandmother to hiking legend, becoming “Grandma” to all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780821422359
Publisher:	Ohio University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2016
Edition description:	1
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 10 Years

About the Author

Michelle Houts holds degrees in special education and speech-language pathology. She is the author of several fiction and nonfiction books for young readers, including the award-winning The Beef Princess of Practical County,The Practical County Drama Queen, and Winterfrost.

Erica Magnus has enjoyed applying her fine art skills as a freelance artist to children's books as author and illustrator, for film and television as concept and creature design artist, and as a teacher. Happily back in Athens County, Ohio, where she raised her daughters, she now works from her Amesville studio. Meadows and woodlands surround her tiny home, where she lives with her first and deepest love, nature.

Editorial Reviews

[Children] will certainly admire the can-do message of Grandma Gatewood’s story, her up-close encounters with adventures in the wild, including snakes, black flies, and bobcats, and her refusal to be stopped by a few setbacks.”—WVXU


“This compelling true tale of triumph will send kids scrambling for their sneakers so they can follow in the footsteps of a legend.”—Ben Montgomery, author of Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail


“[When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike] is an inspiring story, imparting the notion that an action as basic as walking for pleasure could result in a feat for the record books.”—Booklist


“This tale of grit and determination is recommended for libraries in the Appalachian region.”—School Library Journal


“Really, overall, well done … it’d work particularly well in the classroom.”—Literary Hoots

From the Publisher

09/01/2016
K-Gr 4—A true story about legendary hiker Emma Gatewood ("Grandma Gatewood"), who solo hiked the entire Appalachian Trail at the age of 67 in 1955. Readers will learn a bit about Gatewood's early life, but the text is almost entirely dedicated to her later years and her decision to take on the more than 2,000-mile-long hike. The illustrations depict the tough situations and friendly encounters she experienced. Scenes such as her bold encounter with a bobcat are fun to contrast with those of her sitting contentedly in an armchair at home. In an afterword, readers learn she tackled the Appalachian Trail a second time, walked 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon, and guided hikers in her home state of Ohio. A photo of Gatewood circa 1955 appears in the back. VERDICT This tale of grit and determination is recommended for libraries in the Appalachian region, supplemental for other geographic areas.—Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

School Library Journal

2016-07-02
A tribute to the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one go.Houts milks the tale for its inspirational value. The industrious mother of 11 and an inveterate walker, 67-year-old Emma Gatewood reads a magazine story about men who had taken the 2,000-mile hike and: “ ‘Hmmph,’ thought spunky old Emma. ‘If a man can do it, so can I!’ ” Her first try, starting from Maine’s Mount Katahdin, quickly ends in failure—her sturdy, no-nonsense white frame reduced, in Magnus’ painted scene, to a picture of misery, covered in scratches and black fly welts. She hits her stride on the second try, going south to north through verdant woods and living comfortably off the land for nearly five months in 1955. “I did it. I said I’d do it, and I’ve done it!” (Just for good measure, she went on to do it twice more.) Aside from a pair of farm children who greet her along the way and one face in a crowd scene, everyone in the illustrations is white. The author leaves out the not-always-pleasant details of Gatewood’s private life (covered, for older audiences, in Ben Montgomery’s Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, 2014) but adds more about her later treks, plus a photo, at the end, then closes by inviting readers to “think of Grandma Gatewood as you set your sights on your own goals. No matter what mountains might stand in your way.” She didn’t like people passing her on the trail, the author notes, but readers could do worse than follow behind. (source note) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews