This biographical picture book tells the inspiring story of 17-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden. Readers learn how Tatyana, who was born with spina bifida in Russia, was raised in an orphanage From walking on her hands for the first six years of her life, to becoming someone considered the best female wheelchair racer of all time, Tatyana’s journey shows us that no matter what, there is something each of us can do and make our own mark on the world.

Francesca Cavallo’s narrative is straight forward and heartfelt, and Luis San Vicente’s illustrations convey the action and emotion needed for this story perfectly. Together, words and art tell a story that makes it a great way to start discussions about disability, to spark curiosity, and to show that nothing is impossible.

Source: NetGalley eARC

The Fastest Woman on Earth tells the story of Tatyana McFadden's childhood and early career. It begins with her childhood in Russia, how she was adopted, and then how she fell in love with sports. I'm so glad Cavallo has taken the story of Tatyana and told it in a way that's accessible to children. This is the sort of book I would have loved to have as a kid when I was getting into track and because my friend's little sister had spina bifida. This book tells the story of Tatyana who is the GOAT and deserves even greater recognition as an athlete while also exposing kids to disability. I read so many sports biographies as a kid, so I'm thankful to see more diverse stories being told. I would have liked for the book to cover more of her recent career, but maybe that would just be a good sequel.

I loved this. It's such a perfect way to show younger kids how it doesn't matter if you have a disability because it won't stop you from doing whatever you want in life. Your kids will get a great life lesson along with learning about an amazing athlete.

All Olympic athletes dedicate their lives to competing but Paralympic athletes have a courage that many athletes will never have or need to compete in an Olympic contest. The true story of Tatyana McFadden is a beautifully written and illustrated story of how a baby born with Spina Bifida overcame so many odds to become a world champion.

This story has all of the feels without any fictional additions. This first book in a new series about Paralympians is a must have for every school and public library.

A fairly standard, easy to follow athlete biography. The page design is solid and the narrative is easy to understand.

This is a remarkable story of a truly strong female character in real life who overcame a childhood inability to use her legs, and abandonment by her birth mother, to grow into being a competitor in the Paralympics and other contests, from sprinting to marathons, and winning scores of medals, including seven Paralympic golds.

Tatyana was abandoned at a home for kids in Russia, and spent many years there, getting around using her hands for legs for her first six years, because the home could not afford a wheelchair for her. This made her arms very strong. Deborah McFadden happened to visit this home as a commissioner of disabilities working with the US Health Department, and ended up adopting Tatyana, who then went on to her successes in school and in pursuing higher education academic studies.

This is a great introductory book not only to this outstanding athlete, but also to the Paralympics and to people with disabilities. I commend it as a worthy read.

A beautifully illustrated story of an incredibly talented and accomplished athlete. I am excited to share this with my disabled and non-disabled child.

These pics! Absolutely inviting and so lovely! I want to learn much more about this hero! I only wish there was more info...not a bad thing, just want to know more.

Fastest Woman on Earth shows the story of Tatyana McFadden in pictures.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and show her life from being adopted to going to her first Paralympics and winning in Rio in 2016!

I love seeing Tatyana and so many other Paralympian athletes being covered for the first time by mainstream media.
As a person who uses a wheelchair and has since I was little it's so nice to finally see representation and people having the ability to do what everyone else does with just a few modifications. I can't wait to watch Tatyana compete in Tokyo and wish her well in her future as well.

This incredible book is about the life of Tatyana McFadden who has won 17 medals in the Paralympics. It starts with her life in an orphanage in Russia and goes through her adoption and move to the US and becoming a Paralympic champion.

I thought everything about this book was perfect. The story is upbeat while also talking about complex issues. I think it highlighted that people with physical differences are capable of huge accomplishments and we should always consider those differences with respect. I loved the illustrations. I think this is written at the perfect level for kids, and that it is also a fun book they will enjoy.

Highly recommend as a valuable book for kids learn about great women.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. #NetGalley

This was a good introduction to Tatyana McFadden, disability, and the Paralympics for very young children. I think that even for a children's book, it could have gone deeper and discussed some of the tough stuff. I remember being a kid and playing sled hockey against Tatyana a few times a year. She was something else. I played goalie and she scored on me every time but once or twice. She was a force to be reckoned with. One of the things that made her story extra powerful was her adoption and her coming of age in a country where disability was not accepted at all. It was not all fun and games, walking around on her hands in the orphanage and kids in today's world are exposed to tough stuff all the time. If we want to teach about disability in a meaningful way, we need to show the whole experience, not sugar coat it. I still am happy to see Tatyana getting her story shared with even more of the world because she is a true bad ass.

*In exchange for an honest review, I received an advanced copy courtesy of Undercats Publishing and NetGalley.com.

This is a picture book of the life story so far, of the famous wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden. It has some lovely illustrations and explains in a way that most children could understand, how she came from a orphanage in Russia to being a hugely successful paralympic athlete.
It explains how a wheelchair gave Tatyana her independence and that disabled people aren't so different to everyone else, we just sometimes have to do things a bit differently. The book also mentions that Tatyana has 2 adoptive mums, and it's great to see these things just written without explanation, it's just normal.

I'm assuming this is written for a US audience, as in the UK we use the term "Disabled People" not "People with Disabiltiies". In the UK, the Social Model of Disability is the dominant model of disablity used, and we use language that matches that. However, I am aware that internationally, language use is different for all sorts of reasons.

This is a lovely picture book, with a story that I can see children enjoying but with underlying themes of diversity of several kinds.

I was delighted to receive an advanced copy of 'Fastest woman on Earth' from Francesca Cavallo and Undercats Media because as a disabled athlete it looked like exactly the children's book I wish I had read when I was growing up.
And it certainly didn't disappoint.
As soon as I read the beautiful yet simplistic dedication on the first page, "to the kids and grown ups who do things their own way", I knew that this book would capture the realities of living with a disability in the world of athletics while breaking stigmas, stereotypes, and rebutting ableist assumptions- exactly what we should be reading with our children.
Not only does this book provide much needed representation of disabilities, it also normalises the idea that families can come in all shapes and sizes as the protagonist grows up without her biological parents, before being adopted by a lesbian couple.
This amazing story, based on the life of Tatyana McFadden, is accompanied by the stunning illustrations of Luis San Vincente and a page allowing disabled readers to award themselves five medals for doing something their own way - lovely concept.
My pet peeve with books for young children is the accessibility of language as many writers often use vocabulary far too complex or give little consideration to how literature has the potential to aid linguistic development. I can happily say this was not an issue with Cavallo's book.
It is simply perfect.
I will be ordering a copy of this as soon as it is released in August 2021!

Thank you to the publisher Undercats for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this publication. Fastest Woman On Earth is from one of the co-authors of one of my favorite books for children titled 'Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls.' Francesca Cavallo has a writing style that is both simple and informative for younger readers. The story of Tatyana McFadden, originally from Russia however now living in the US is a visual read from her years living in an orphanage and watching other children around her being adopted. Due to her disability (Spina Bifida) it took longer for a family to come along for Tatyana. When they did, she turned into a powerful and record-breaking wheelchair racer thanks to their encouragement.

I found Fastest Woman On Earth to be a short and meaningful read, as Tatyana's dedication and success stories will definitely boost younger readers (and their families) in gaining stronger levels of confidence and believing that through any life experiences, dreams do come true, I enjoyed the illustrations and felt that Luis's work did tie well back into Francesca's writing. I will be requesting that my library order in a copy for the end of August 2021.

"Fastest woman on Earth" is based on the true story of paralympic athlete Tatyana McFadden. This book is for kids but, even as an adult I enjoyed reading it. The story is told in such a smooth and easy to read manner that you can't stop reading until you finish.

The illustrator Luis San Vicente did an amazing job of illustrating this book. The illustrations are colorful and descriptive. Kids will love this book.

To keep the intended reader engaged, after they finish the book there is a special section with 5 medals which the reader can give to themselves after they do something their own way, that is a great addition to the book.

After reading this book I felt motivated and thought to myself that many people who are well and healthy get demotivated so easily. I cannot even think what Tatyana must've felt.
I was looking for a biography, which adults can read of Tatyana and there is one called if you're curious it's called "Ya Sama! Moments from My Life".

Thank You NetGalley!

This is a nice simple story for kids about a very successful Paralympian named Tatyana McFadden who suffers from spina bifida, abandoned in a orphanage in Russia and adopted by a two women couple. This book really shows that kids that either they have a physical, mental or none at all should be aware that they can be successful to make the world a better place. Whereas in Tatyana’s case, she may not have the ability to walk but she has the motivation, confidence, you name it to get to the top and that was to get into the Paralympics. Like seriously, FairPlay to her for gaining such a huge achievement !!

Thanks Netgalley and Undercats for easily sharing this book to check out!