Simone Biles

This short biography is a great way for young readers to be introduced to Simone Biles, an Olympic gymnast. With sections like "World Champ" and "setting records" this book is broken up into short 1 page sections that have catchy titles and will grab the reader's attention. There are several nice photos of Simone throughout the story and lots of interesting details, like how she was adopted and how she also speaks out about mental health. The font is nice and large and well spaced, and the text is written at a level that even emergent readers will be able to comprehend. At 34 pages, including a table of contents, glossary and index, this non fiction text would be perfect for a grade 1-4 classroom, or to be read with younger children with an adult. I would highly recommend this book and look forward to seeing if the author and publisher create more books like it! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Simone Biles has an incredible story that truly inspires! In a short time, she has achieved amazing success, making her a role model for many, especially young girls. This delightful book, “Simone Biles, Gymnastics GOAT,” is perfect for young readers eager to learn about this extraordinary athlete. Although we often just celebrate the high points in sports, I truly appreciate the author including her mental health challenges during the 2021 Olympics. What some might see as a weak moment for her actually showed her resilience, and I believe her sharing this experience helps others.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this awesome book and highly recommend it to others! A huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Loved it! Great little biography of the world’s greatest gymnast. I adore Simone Biles and this book had lots of awesome pics of her performing at the Olympics and detailed all the awards and medals she had won. The author also made sure to discuss Simone’s struggle with mental health and how she was able to take breaks when she needed and still come back and be the GOAT. This is perfectly written for younger grade kids who adore Simone or wish to learn more about her. She’s truly an inspiring young woman and I’m excited that she’s trying out for the Paris Olympics. I can’t wait to see her win again!

While I find it hard to believe there's anyone out there who doesn't know who Simone Biles is and about her amazing accomplishments, this book is a nice, relatively brief summation of her career with some great photos. While I've followed her career for years and thus found little new, there were some new-to-me photos, a plus. I appreciated that the author, while not going into great detail, did cover her struggles during the last Olympics, reminding us that sports hero or not, an athlete's mental health needs to take priorities, pointing out she did eventually compete in a final event, winning a bronze. It's hard to argue with the fact that, especially looking at her recent road to the Paris Olympics, she is definitely the gymnastics GOAT (Greatest of All Time).

The progressive, short bits of info, including her early life and entrance into the sport, are easy to read, all accompanied by an appropriate photo. Her various awards and highlights of her career are given. All are presented in an respectful, admiring manner. Bottom line, long time fans will enjoy the, so to speak, quick retrospective of her career while new admirers will learn how she began, progressed, and came to dominate the sport she so excels in. Thanks #NetGalley and #RosenPublishingGroup - #GarethStevens for sharing this colorful, nicely put together look at Simone Biles. I admire her greatly as both an athlete and for the person she has become, showing her struggles as well as her triumphs. I look forward to watching her compete in the Paris Olympics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gareth Stevens Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This children’s book on the most decorated gymnast of all-time is a great introduction for kids to learn about Simone Biles. The bright and colorful design does a good job of explaining in simple terms her grandparents adopted her and how she started gymnastics at age 6. Not only does the book mention her world championship titles, but also points out that she was the first black female to do so. There are a lot of great photos, both on and off the gymnastics stage. I also appreciate how the book portrayed Simone’s struggles with the twisties and had to focus on her mental health during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the end of the book, there’s a timeline, a glossary, and a selection of books and websites a child might be interested in if this book whets their appetite.