Review by Booklist Review
It's such a treat when a picture book's writing and illustrations are equally matched, and Conrad and Holmes pool their talents to lift Katie Brumbach, stage name Sandwina, to heights befitting her status as the world's strongest woman. Adopting the tone of a barker, Conrad touts Brumbach's astonishing feats of strength while unspooling her upbringing in a large German circus family and recruitment in 1910 by Ringling Brothers. Holmes, meanwhile, replicates the lithographic style used to make twentieth--century circus posters through the use of textured paper, digital layering, and a palette primarily of cyan, goldenrod, and persimmon. Retro typefaces are also employed, and the combined effect is showstopping. While Brumbach was deemed the world's strongest woman, the text frequently points out that she routinely challenged and defeated men in strength contests--it's even rumored that she took the name Sandwina after unseating Eugen Sandow from his world's-strongest-man throne. If balancing an upright piano (and its pianist) on her back or hoisting an occupied two-seater bicycle above her head weren't accomplishment enough, Brumbach was also a strong advocate for women's rights, embracing her unconventionally tall, muscular physique and fighting for women's suffrage. Enriching back matter touches on the creators' inspirations while also offering archival photos, extended biographical notes, a list of strong women in history, a time line, and a selected biography. Spectacular!
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Born into a German circus family in 1884, Katie Brumbach dazzled audiences with incredible feats of strength. Conrad opens her tale with Brumbach's legendary win over strongman Eugen Sandow, after which she renamed herself Sandwina. (The author says in her closing note that there is no written record of the victory but: "This legend has been told over and over again.") Readers learn of Sandwina's romance with a skinny acrobat named Max who became her husband -- and stage prop -- and of their immigration to the United States and her subsequent career. Conrad adopts the tone of a carnival barker to reel off her subject's many feats of strength: "Sandwina balanced a 1,000-pound cannon on her chest. When eight men placed a half-ton stone onto Sandwina's back, she threw it off!" Holmes matches Conrad's delivery with a poster-inspired design that leans into Sandwina's charismatic stage presence, topping her burly form with a pile of blue, curlicued tresses, and is complemented by flourishes of display type (which sometimes threaten to overwhelm the narrative). Occasional ticket-shaped callout boxes convey additional information, such as the fact that Sandwina and other circus women joined the suffrage movement. Beneath Conrad's breathless narration runs a strong current of body positivity: "Sandwina proved strength was beauty, and beauty was strength. Katie's bold costumes showed off every muscle." Photographs accompanying the back matter back this claim up. A rousing introduction to a larger-than-life figure. Vicky SmithJanuary/February 2025 p.100 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Meet pioneering strongwoman Katie Sandwina. Opening on a daring (but possibly apocryphal) tale of Katie outlifting strongman Eugen Sandow, the narrative quickly immerses readers in this female athlete's life. Born in 1884 to a performing family in Essen, Germany, Katie staged her "first hefty stunt" at only 2: "a perfect handstand on Papa's outstretched palm!" She grew into a teenager with "legs as thick as tree trunks." Katie performed tirelessly until she attained her big break, headlining the Ringling Big Top Circus. Though she wowed audiences with her astounding feats of strength, Conrad passionately emphasizes that she was celebrated for her femininity, too, mothering two sons and wearing "bold costumes" that highlighted her muscles. Lengthy, somewhat sprawling backmatter (including photos, an author's note, a bibliography, a timeline, and mini-biographies of other strongwomen) helps establish Katie's enduring legacy. What really steals the show, however, are the striking, old-timey illustrations in a primary color palette with circus-style fonts and framing. Grainy lithograph-inspired images of vintage travel posters, ostentatious newspaper headlines, and bursts of oversize, colorfully garish text create the feeling of spectacle. Images meld perfectly with text, including on a dynamic page showing Katie juggling cannonballs, depicting symbols of her desires for domestic life and showbiz success. In this dazzling introduction, an extraordinary woman takes her rightful place back in the spotlight.(Picture-book biography. 7-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
