A Very Young Gymnast

This is an intriguing story about a very young gymnast. Children become mesmerized with the photographs and entranced with the little girl's dreams and successes. It is a great way for little girls to live vicariously, as not many have the ability to excel in gymnastics. It may be a bit extreme for young readers to understand the sacrifices required for such a level of competition, but it is demonstrated in a way that readers can experience the experience.

This is a wonderful book about gymnastics. It has lots of pictures. It's about a 10 year old gymnast who has aspirations to be in the olympics. It shows how she trains. The pictures are in black & white. Not only does it contains pictures of her, but also other gymnasts are here also. Nadia, Bart Conner & Kurt Thomas and more. First published in 1978, it's a little dated-but it shows gymnastics as it once was. Very nice!

I got this book when I was 10 years old. Every once in a while I take it out again and look at it. While it may be "dated" in some sense such as going to see Nadia and Olga, and the equipment - note the WOODEN Balance Beam! :) It is still a good narrative of what a gymnast goes through. The fact that younger gymnasts may not know who Nadia and Olga are is quite amazing and perhaps this is a good read for those tikes who think that gymnastics started with Shannon Miller! :) A great read for older gymnasts looking back on the "good old days" and young gymnasts who never knew that there was anything but spring floors and padded beams.

Jill Krementz' "A Very Young Gymnast" is one of the best of her "Very Young" books. It follows a real young girl through her training schedule and to an international gymnast demonstration. The spunky young gymnast is beautifully photographed in black and white and the text is written in her voice. It is in simple but not condescending language and so this book will be treasured for years to come. It is especially geared toward the 5 to 10 year old range but will be treasured into adulthood. I highly recommend this for any young person but specifically for the aspiring gymnast.

This is an excellent book for young, aspiring gymnasts. Told in a first-person narative, it truly lets the reader feel like she is participating. Text is easy to read and simple for a younger child to understand, yet sophisticated enough that a child interested in gymnastics will stay involved. Wonderful, emotional photos lead the way through the story. The lone problem is that the book is rather dated. There is a sequence where the narator goes to a gymnastics meet and is thrilled to see Nadia and Olga, gymnasts that this generation may not be familiar with. Otherwise, a great story.