OLYMPICS

by B.G. Hennessy ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

A brief look at the modern Olympics. Hennessy (The First Night, 1993, etc.) describes the long preparations for the games (athletes practicing, workers building venues, manufacturers making sporting equipment, farmers growing ceremonial flowers) and the events themselves, most covered in lists that provide a sense of the variety of the efforts without being exhaustive. Before and after such lists is a text written in a crisp, elevated voice: ""In ancient Greece . . . the winners were the strongest, the fastest, and the bravest athletes of their time."" In an entirely different key are the watercolor cartoons, as detailed as anything by Philippe Dupasquier and conveying a similar glee in visual asides for readers to find in repeat viewings. The gently mocking pictures depict sprawling scenes of a generic Olympic village and determined athletes with comic expressions on their faces. In general, Chesworth also musters the scale of the games: the simultaneity of events, the crushing organization required, and the mass of people involved as participants, spectators, and administrators.

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

Categories: CHILDREN'S