Robert Wadlow

A well written account of Robert Wadlow's life. I would encourage the reading of it. Read it to your children, your school children and for yourself. The author includes thought provoking questions at the end of the book which provide for discussion with your students or your children to add more meaning to the story and understanding of Robert's challenges to a normal life. Phillips also through her writing showed the understanding and caring the parents had for their son. This is a refreshing, positive read.

One of many things I loved about this book was that it possesses a rare quality that so many non-fiction biographies written for children lack. It teaches many valuable lessons about right and wrong in life without being in your face about it, just by telling Robert Wadlow's life story. You find out that being the tallest person in the world was not exactly "Christmas every day," alongside with cool facts how Robert's mom recycled his old clothes for use by other family members. It talks about growing up while looking very different from everyone else and finding your place in the world, community and in the lives of the ones closest to you. The book is funny, sad, informative, full of great historical photos, extraordinarily well researched, entertaining, and after you are done with it, it leaves you feeling that you learned something new about the world we live in. At the end of the book there are a series of thoughtful questions and activities to explore that cover topics from history of Great Depression and living in 1920s to science.