Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Jr. and Bryan Collier, ill. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007.
ISBN: 978-9-7636-1692-2. Subjects/Genres: African American History, Sports, Islam/Picture Book Grades: 5-8
Watercolor and collage combine to tell the life story of the world's best known boxer through twelve poems.
Q/P: 5/5 What's not to love here? Beautifully done illustrations, and the layout, which varied from page to page, was intriguing. The name Muhammed Ali
is still part of the collective conscious, and I imagine this will continue to be a popular choice for reluctant readers.
BVG, 7/22/09
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith, Jr. and Bryan Collier, ill. Cambridge:
MA: Candlewick Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7636-1692-2
Rap-inspired text, paired with bold graphics and illustrations tell the story of Muhammad Ali. From his childhood to retirement, Ali's life is told with colorful words and images. A timeline at the end of the story gives more information about his boxing career.
Illustrations: Watercolor and collage
Awards: Coretta Scott King Honor Award
Themes: Biography, Muhammad Ali, Boxing
5Q/4P
ggolden
7/17/09
Twelve Rounds to Glory: the story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith and Bryan Collier, ill. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007.
Muhammed Ali’s life unfolds in twelve rhyming poems as readers explore both the myth and the legend. These long poems evoke the smack talking Ali was famous for, and beautiful watercolor and collage images bring punch to the story.
Literary Concept:
Onomatopoeia:
In addition to the rhyming verse of the story of Ali’s life, the author pulls out direct quotes from Ali to enhance the illustrations, as well as onomatopoeia words on the same page.
For example, on page 50-51, the illustration of Ali is enhanced by the quote, “Come on, George, I thought you could HIT!”, while the text is enhanced by the pulled-out word “Ding-Ding!” On page 52-53, the pull-out quote “Is that ALL you got?” along with the onomatopoeia word “THWACK” catty-corner on the page.
Curriculum Connections
English/Language Arts
Biographies/Autobiographies/Memoirs
Social Studies
Black History Month
(DM 4.28.08)
Smith, C. R., Jr. (2007). Twelve rounds to glory : the story of Muhammad Ali. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Artwork: Mixed-media
ISBN-13: 978-0-7636-1692-2 AAS 5-4-08
In verse reminiscent of rap music, this story of Muhammad Ali covers his life from its humble beginnings through the racial prejudice he endured, his conversion and dedication to Islam, his Olympic glory, and the decline of his health in the later years. Onomatopoeia makes the fight scenes sing, “Ding ding . . .Thwack! . . .Splat . . . Crack.”
Curricular connection: Vietnam War/Civil rights/ Grade 11/ CA HSS 11.9 and 11.10
Subjects: Boxing; Perseverance; Religious convictions
Theme: Talent, hard work, and the courage of one’s convictions can lead to a successful life.
Literary Devices: Onomatopoeia; Alliteration
Categories: Non-fiction 796.83; Biography
Age Level Recommendation: Middle School
Rating: 5Q/5P
AAS 5-4-08
Smith, C. R., Jr. (2007). Twelve rounds to glory: The story of Muhammad Ali. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 9780763616922
Ilustrator: Collier, B.
Media: Mixed Media
5Q/5P
Curriculum Connection: Grades 5-10; History, African American History, Cultural Studies, Language Arts (
Literary Application: Metaphor
Examples of metaphor include: “tool of the white man” – “his hook versus your bee sting” – “a left-hooking fist, swung from a meat rack” – “lightening-quick hands” – “the bull meets the matador” – “fire-filled speech” and so on.
Literary Application: Alliteration
Examples of alliteration include: “ tackling your training with discipline and devotion” – “striking and stinging’ – “white writers wrote words and scribes scribbled script” – “Cassius Clay dance-dances away, then lets fly a flurry of fists” and so on…
Annotation: An inspired biography of Muhammad Ali, detailed, realistic and written in such a way one might think Ali penned it himself.
5.18.08 cjm
ISBN: 978-9-7636-1692-2. Subjects/Genres: African American History, Sports, Islam/Picture Book Grades: 5-8
Watercolor and collage combine to tell the life story of the world's best known boxer through twelve poems.
Q/P: 5/5 What's not to love here? Beautifully done illustrations, and the layout, which varied from page to page, was intriguing. The name Muhammed Ali
is still part of the collective conscious, and I imagine this will continue to be a popular choice for reluctant readers.
BVG, 7/22/09
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