A Winning Edge (Positively for Kids) [Hardcover]

Bonnie Blair (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Positively for Kids

Olympic speedskating champion Bonnie Blair's recommendation for a productive balance in life is what gives readers "a winning edge."

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-5. Olympic medal^-winning speed skater Bonnie Blair talks to children about her life on and off the rink, including the training that helped her achieve her Olympic victories. All the facts are seen through her own upbeat outlook on life. Although not many young people will pick up the book to read Blair's thoughts on "dedication, balance, risk, and love," those who find her story compelling won't mind the message, implicit or explicit. Written in the first person, the text flashes back to Blair's early years in speed skating and includes her changing feelings toward the sport as she grew up. Olympic victories are set in the context of the support she felt from her family and friends, a rooting section known as "the Blair Bunch." Drawings and photographs, most in full color, appear on every page. Carolyn Phelan

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878339310
• ISBN-13: 978-0878339310
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,698,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Olympic Champion teaches Kids about how to Compete, February 19, 2002

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Winning Edge (Positively for Kids) (Hardcover)

When the Olympic torch was making its way around the Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City this month it was not surprising that at one point Bonnie Blair was one of the former Olympians to carry the torch. After all, Blair is the winningest U.S. athlete in Winter Olympic history and the winner of more gold medals than any other female U.S. Olympian as a speed skater. "A Winning Edge" was written by Blair for children, with whom she shares the sacrifices and victories that made her famous and her belief that the best motivation for speed skating or any other endeavor is doing it for love.

"A Winning Edge" tells the story of the Blair family, where Bonnie was the youngest of six kids. In fact, her father dropped off her mom at the hospital for Bonnie's birth and then took the rest of the family to a skating race. The book is filled with pictures from the Blair family album and illustrations by Doug Keith depicting Bonnie's key moments in Bonnie's life and skating career. Bonnie tells about how she joined her racing family on the ice, how she developed her training regimen, and how the police department in her hometown of Champaign, Illinois helped raise money for her to train in Europe. The results were Bonnie's success at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, the 1988 games in Calgary, the Albertville games in 1992, and the Lillehammer games in 1994. Bonnie provides not only memories about her races, but those of her longtime friend Dan Jansen.

This book is like reading a family photo album or scrapbook with Bonnie pointing out to you what everything means and how it was important in her life. Young readers dreaming of being an athlete will be inspired by her emphasis on the four key words that made Bonnie's own dreams come true: dedication, balance, risk and love. Older readers will enjoy finding out more about the young woman with the great smile we watched win all those gold medals on the ice all over the world.