Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas

by Meghan Mccarthy

Book Overview

He could tear phone books in half, bend iron bars into giant Us, and pull a 145,000-pound train with his bare hands. But Charles Atlas wasn't always one of America's most famous strong men. Once upon... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375829407
• ISBN13: 9780375829406
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The 97 pound weakling

When I was growing up "The Insult that Made a Man out of Mac" appeared in comic books and other magazines, and it never failed to inspire or amuse me -- sometimes both. Mac was challenged on the beach by a sand-kicking bully in front of his girl. Mac was humiliated, he went home and gambled a stamp on Charles Atlas's "Dynamic-Tension" program. Mac returned to the beach, beats up the bully, becoming the "hero of the beach." For a pipsqueak farm boy weighing less than a hundred pounds and tough as nails, Mac became a personal hero. It was a great joy to see Meghan McCarthy's lovely little biography of Charles Atlas in a local book store. She writes that Atlas began life in America as a skinny immigrant kid named Angelo Siciliano. One day at the zoo Angelo watched a lion stretching. "The muscles ran around like rabbits under a rug." Those muscles inspired Angelo's transformation, first into a Coney Island sideshow strongman and then into "The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man." McCarthy's illustrations omit the sexist nature of the ads, but perfectly convey Atlas's goals of inspiring young boys to become clean, honorable He-Men. Atlas also believed in healthy living -- proper nutrition, a clean bedroom, getting out of bed on time, no smoking, no drinking and plenty of aerobic exercise. McCarthy's book made me feel happy, and may have inspired a couple of young men I've given copies to. To feel even happier, insert Meghan McCarthy into the Google search box, and enjoy her delightful website. Robert C. Ross 2008

Great for teaching kids about health!

Strong Man is a great children's biography of Charles Atlas, a man who advocated personal fitness through eating healthy, exercising through resistance training, avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol, and by believing in yourself. These great concepts are throughout this text, intertwined in the life of Charles Atlas, an Italian immigrant who believed in himself and healthy living to become (officially!) The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man! The book is illustrated with drawings and photographs, and makes this nonfiction story so interesting, and would make the perfect pick for introducing a unit to upper elementary students on healthy choices.

Kids will love it!!

Charles Atlas' life was a very inspiring one. And here you have it written for children. The paintings ilustrating the text are kind of funny, which I like. The text even includes quotes from Atlas and gives only the necessary information. It includes 4 exercises for children to perform and encourages them to eat right and sleep well. I as an adult enjoyed it. I am sure my nephew will love it! Congratulations to Meghan McCarthy on this fine book.

Fun cartoon-like drawings illustrate his rise to fame and his inspirational achievements.

Meghan McCarthy's THE STORY OF CHARLES ATLAS: STRONG MAN is a picturebook biography which reads with the drama of fiction, telling of a strong man who would make his mark as the 'world's most perfectly developed man'. Fun cartoon-like drawings illustrate his rise to fame and his inspirational achievements.

Prepared to be pumped up

Though artist/illustrator Meghan McCarthy possesses many skills, there is one in particular that I feel eclipses the lot. My thinking is that anyone can write, anyone can draw, and anyone can put the two together. But when it comes to non-fiction picture books, almost nobody finds the right kind of fun/wacky subject matter out there that she does. Whether it's 1938 The War of the Worlds broadcast as found in Aliens Are Coming! or the story of City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male, McCarthy's tastes run to the eclectic. And undoubtedly, the most eclectic of all would have to be "Strong Man". I mean, who sits down and decides to write a picture book on the life of Charles Atlas? It's absurd! Unheard of! Ridiculous! It just happens to also be one of the most amusing non-fiction books for kids to come out this year. His name was Angelo Siciliano, an Italian immigrant who grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Not a naturally tough kid, Angelo was your typical small fry and weights did nothing for him. Yet by creating his own fitness routine, Angelo (who took the name Charles Atlas not long thereafter) grew strong AND had a great product to sell. He stressed good eating, good exercise, and a minimum amount of laziness in his students. People around the world benefited from his techniques and to this day, "He is still considered `The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man.'" Back matter to this book includes exercises for kids and some additional information on what we know about the life of Charles Atlas. It's not true that an author is only as strong as their material. A true author can make gold out of the dullest life just so long as they've the right take and style. But to my mind, when it comes to children's books, biographies are best when they're more than halfway interesting. I'm sure that the inventor of the lint removal rolls was a great person, but would you really want to force your kid to read a biography about that person? Then you consider Charles Atlas. He's just such a huge part of our culture. Millions of people have seen, in one form or another, the old bully-kicks-sand-in-the-face-of-the-weakling storyline. Few of us have ever thought to explore the man behind the image. The fact that he led a lovely life and that his works just happen to have something to say to our kids today (exercising and eating well = good) is just a nice plus. The other day I'm sitting at my Reference Desk in the library and a kid wants a book on "real" aliens. Say what you will about my lovely library branch, we're not exactly overflowing with children's books on this topic. But I have a quick brain flash and run and get the child McCarthy's Aliens Are Coming!. Even if it's not precisely what he was looking for, the kid's eyes light up. "Look, Mom! It's like The Simpsons!" McCarthy's people are not, in fact, like The Simpsons aside from the big rounded white eyes. But far be it from me to discourage the kid. The fact of the matter is, c