Lucile “Ludy” Godbold was six feet tall and skinnier than a Carolina pine and an exceptional athlete. In her final year on the track team at Winthrop College in South Carolina, Ludy tried the shot put and she made that iron ball sail with her long, skinny arms. But when Ludy qualified for the first Women's Olympics in 1922, Ludy had no money to go.
Thanks to the help of her college and classmates, Ludy traveled to Paris and won the gold medal with more than a foot to spare. Hooray for Ludy!
Praise for Long-Armed Ludy:
"Patrick's folksy account is crisp and packed with facts...evocative illustrations combine oil paintings with gouache on watercolor paper, painting Ludy as a gangly beanpole with an enormously expressive face." —Kirkus Reviews
“Folksy, descriptive text, which includes regional colloquialisms, will entertain readers...A charming, down-home introduction to a female athlete, and a great addition to any public or school library." —School Library Journal