Module 12: America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle

• Book Cover Image:

• Book Summary: Gertrude Ederle, or Trudy as she was known, fell into a pond when she was seven years old and almost drowned. Her father was determined to teach her how to swim and as a result, swimming and being in the water became Trudy’s passion. By the time she was only nineteen years old, she had made the U.S. Olympic team, winning medals and setting U.S. and world records along the way. This bold-text picture book chronologies the events of Ederle’s journey to become the first woman to swim the English Channel, blazing a new trail for the way women were perceived in a male dominated era.

• APA Reference of Book: Adler, D. (2000). American’s champion swimmer: Gertrude Ederle. San Diego, CA: HMH Publishing.

• Impressions: This book could be placed into several different biography categories; sports personality, explorers/adventurers, people who overcame tremendous odds, and other interesting people. Adler did a great job bringing “life and meaning into people and events that are dead and gone” (Tunnell, Jacobs, Young & Bryan, 2012, p. 161). It is an authentic biography that can be used as a read-aloud for younger readers as well as a resource for information for older readers doing research. As I read the book, I could truly see the determination Ederle had as she did whatever it took to achieve her goal of swimming the English Channel. After reading the story, I wanted to know more about Ederle so I was excited to see that the book included a “Notes from the author” page with details of Ederle’s life after her accomplishment. The large illustrations added excitement to the story. Not only does this book do a great job of informing the reader with factual information as a biography, it also serves as an inspirational story with an empowering message, particularly for girls.      

• Professional Review:  K-Gr 4-This picture-book biography covers the life of Gertrude Ederle, highlighting her world-record breaking, long-distance swims. In 1926, women were thought to be the weaker sex, but this indomitable young athlete broke the men's record by two hours when she swam the English Channel. Fascinating tidbits about her 21-mile swim will entice readers: "She floated on her back and ate chicken and drank beef broth." For her victory, she was rewarded with a ticker-tape parade and a letter from President Coolidge calling her "America's Best Girl." More information about her life is appended. In the acrylic paintings, characters with large bodies and small heads, suggesting Depression era art, are set on impressionistic backgrounds. The pictures of the swirling, rough water add fluidity and motion, and the perspectives that show the small figure of the swimmer in the vast sea capture the immensity of Ederle's endeavor. Attractive formatting and large type make this story of achievement as effective and as inspiring to read aloud as this team's Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (1997) and The Babe 6 I (1999, both Gulliver). 

Gaffney, J. (2000). [Review of the book America’s champion swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, by D. Adler]. School library journal, 46(6), p.128.

• Library Uses: Make a list of the most important events identified in the story. Using ipads, put students in groups and have them use an app such as Timeline Maker to create a chronological timeline of the events in Gertrude Ederle’s life.  

Reference: 
Tunnell, M.O., Jacobs, J.S., Young, T.A, & Bryan, G.W. (2012). Children’s literature, briefly. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.