About this item
It's the day before the big parade. Alta can only think about one thing: Wilma Rudolph, three-time Olympic gold medalist. She'll be riding on a float tomorrow. See, Alta is the quickest kid in Clarksville, Tennessee, just like Wilma once was. It doesn't matter that Alta's shoes have holes because Wilma came from hard times, too. But what happens when a new girl with shiny new shoes comes along and challenges Alta to a race? Will she still be the quickest kid? The Quickest Kid in Clarksville is a timeless story of dreams, determination, and the power of friendship.
About the Author
Pat Zietlow Miller knew she wanted to be a writer ever since her seventh-grade English teacher read her paper about square-dancing skirts out loud in class and said: "This is the first time anything a student has written has given me chills." (Thanks, Mrs. Mueller! You rock!) Pat started out as a newspaper reporter and wrote about everything from dartball and deer-hunting to diets and decoupage. Then, she joined an insurance company and edited its newsletter and magazine.Now, she writes insurance information by day and children's books by night. Her first picture book, SOPHIE'S SQUASH, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf was released in 2013 from Schwartz & Wade. It won the Golden Kite Award for picture book text from the SCBWI and was named a Charlotte Zolotow and an Ezra Jack Keats New Author honor book Her second picture book, WHEREVER YOU GO, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, was released by Little, Brown in 2015. That was followed by SHARING THE BREAD, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Schwartz & Wade) ; THE QUICKEST KID IN CLARKSVILLE, illustrated by Frank Morrison (Chronicle) and SOPHIE'S SQUASH GO TO SCHOOL, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf (Schwartz & Wade) .In 2018, New York Times bestselling BE KIND, illustrated by Jen Hill (Roaring Brook) , WIDE-AWAKE BEAR illustrated by Jean Kim (HarperCollins) and LORETTA'S GIFT, illustrated by Alea Marley (Little Bee) were published. REMARKABLY YOU, illustrated by Patrice Barton (HarperCollins) and WHEN YOU ARE BRAVE, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler (Little, Brown) were published in 2019, and MY BROTHER, THE DUCK, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman (Chronicle) came out in 2020.Pat has one wonderful husband, two delightful daughters and two pampered cats. She doesn't watch much TV, but she does love "Chopped." Pat lives in Madison, Wisconsin.You can follow Pat on Twitter (@PatZMiller) . You can also visit her website at http://www.patzietlowmiller.com or stop by www.picturebookbuilders.com, a blog she's part of.
