Description

Celebrate over 50 athletes who broke barriers, took risks, and changed the rules!

While these athletes came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in common: they would not take "You can't" for an answer. With a don't-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better sports world.

In this book, you'll read about very famous athletes, like Jackie Robinson and Simone Biles. You'll also discover the first female drag-racing champion and the first Latino American baseball superstar. You'll meet the first Olympian with an amputated leg, the first blind Ironman racer, the first transgender college champion, and the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists. Beyond individual athletes, you'll learn how Title IX impacted sports, why the Paralympics matters, and the history behind the Haudenosaunee lacrosse team.

By the time you're done reading, whether you're an athlete or not, you'll be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in anything you set your mind to!

About the Author

James Buckley Jr. is one of the country’s most prolific writers of nonfiction for kids, with more than 200 titles to his name, including twenty in the New York Times bestselling Who Was…? biography series and nine books in the Show Me History graphic nonfiction series. James runs Shoreline Publishing Group, a leading producer of nonfiction kids’ books for national and school-library publishers. Shoreline has produced books about moviemaking, creating comic books, celebrity biographies, fashion design, and more. James lives in Santa Barbara, California, where he is the co-producer of the local production of Bloomsday, an annual salute to Irish author James Joyce. 

Steffi Walthall is an illustrator and character designer born and raised in Virginia, US. She was the artist of the family at a young age and could always be found with pencil and paper in hand. Steffi took this passion for art halfway down the east coast to Georgia, where she received her BFA in Game Development from the Savannah College of Art & Design. During her time in school, she developed a line-focused, graphic style. Working primarily in Photoshop, she focuses on crafting a diverse range of characters and unique stories. Steffi draws most of her inspiration from mythology, history, film, and science fiction. When she isn’t busy creating something new, you can find her listening to D&D podcasts, reading comic books, or playing video games with her friends. She lives in Virginia.

Ellen Labrecque has authored more than one hundred nonfiction children’s books and loves sharing stories about entertainers who dare to be first. She has written ten biographies in the New York Times best-selling Who Was. . .? series, including those of singer and actor Frank Sinatra and poet and author Maya Angelou. Ellen lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania home with a family of movie buffs and Broadway enthusiasts.