The athlete who excelled in basketball, track and field, and golf had to over come many obstacles just to win the right to compete. Didrikson was always keenly aware of her remarkable giftedness. Knudson portrays her as a competitive, stubborn, egotistical non-conformist who made it to the top because of, not in spite of, these personal qualities. (Ages 7-14)

When Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a child, her goal was to be the greatest athlete who ever lived. Few people come as close to their childhood goals as Babe did. She was an All-American basketball player, an Olympic gold medalist in track and field, and a championship golfer who won eighty-two amateur and professional tournaments. She also mastered tennis, played exhibition baseball, and was an accomplished diver and bowler. The Associated Press elected her Woman Athlete of the Year six times and in 1950 named her Woman Athlete of the Half Century. Babe accomplished all of this at a time when most girls and women didn't take part in these sports. This insightful and well-researched biography from Newbery medalist Russell Freedman brings to life the woman who changed the world's perception of female athletes forever-Babe Didrikson Zaharias.