Me and Muhammad Ali
by Jabari Asim (Author) Ag Ford (Illustrator)
A little boy's joyous encounter with his hero, boxing champion and poet Muhammad Ali, is everything he's dreamed of--and more!
Like most of the kids he knows, Langston is a huge fan of boxing champ Muhammed Ali. After all, Ali is the greatest for so many reasons--his speed, his strength, his confidence--and his poetry. Langston loves that Ali can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, and Ali's words give him confidence to spin his own poems. When Langston hears the champ is coming to the local high school, he's ecstatic--this will be a day that will go down in history for him.
When the big day arrives, Langston gets a special haircut, and floats like a butterfly to meet his hero--so imagine his disappointment when a guard tries to stop him at the door, saying the event is just for students. Fortunately, Langston has learned a thing or two about fearlessness from the champ and is quick about not taking "no" for an answer. And just like that, a dream comes true for Langston that leaves him feeling wrapped in a warm glow and chanting, "I'm quick and I'm strong. I'm Black and I'm free. I'm brave and I'm bold, like Muhammad Ali!"
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Jabari Asim is a professor at Emerson College, where he is director of the MFA program in Creative Writing. A recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, he is the author of several works for children. They include A Child's Introduction to African American History, Preaching to the Chickens, Whose Toes Are Those, and Me and Muhammad Ali.
Jerrard K. Polk has been drawing all his life. He won his first art contest at the age of 5 and was educated in public schools by many skilled art teachers. His love of books and poetry was encouraged by his mother, a librarian. Today, he enjoys sharing his fondness for art and entrepreneurship with children. He is greatly inspired by jazz and the dapper fashions of its innovators. In 2021, he illustrated The Story of John Lewis and Black Inventors.JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JUV032000 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | General
Picture books
Heroes
Ali, Muhammad
