This inspiring true picture book told with “beautiful illustrations and an emphasis on the value of nature, determination, and grit” (School Library Journal) is from critically acclaimed artist Jennifer Thermes.
Emma Gatewood’s life was far from easy. In rural Ohio, she managed a household of 11 kids alongside a less-than-supportive husband. One day, at age 67, she decided to go for a nice long walk . . . and ended up completing the Appalachian Trail.
With just the clothes on her back and a pair of thin canvas sneakers on her feet, Grandma Gatewood hiked up ridges and down ravines. She braved angry storms and witnessed breathtaking sunrises. When things got particularly tough, she relied on the kindness of strangers or sheer luck to get her through the night. When the newspapers got wind of her amazing adventure, the whole country cheered her on to the end of her trek, which came just a few months after she set out.
A story of true grit and girl power at any age, Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail proves that no peak is insurmountable.
Imprint: Abrams Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781683352907
Page Count: 48
Illustrations: full-color illustrations throughout
Rights: World
Age Range: 5 – 7
Jennifer Thermes is an award-winning author, illustrator, and mapmaker whose books bring history, adventure, geography, and the natural world vividly to life. She is the creator of The Indestructible Tom Crean, winner of the 2024 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award from Bank Street College of Education, and the author-illustrator of acclaimed nonfiction picture books including A Place Called America, Horse Power: How Horses Changed the World, Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail, and Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island, an NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book. Known for weaving richly detailed maps into her storytelling, Jennifer creates books that inspire curiosity about the people, places, and events that have shaped our world. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, she lives in New Hampshire, where she writes, illustrates, gardens, watches birds, and explores the outdoors with her family.
