Perfect Timing

How Isaac Murphy Became One of the World's Greatest Jockeys

Written by Patsi B. Trollinger

Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue

2011 Softcover Edition

Isaac Murphy was one of the greatest jockeys in the history of horseracing. But if it hadn't been for one lucky day in 1873, he might never have ridden at all. On that day, Isaac was offered the chance to ride a horse. He took the opportunity, and from the moment he sat in the saddle his life changed forever.

Isaac - the grandson of slaves - became a jockey, which allowed him to escape a future of labor and poverty. But Isaac wasn't just a jockey. He was one of the best. He won more races and set more records than almost anyone. Ever. Many of his records still stand today.

Captured in stunningly vibrant paintings by Jerome Lagarrigue, and with a lively text from Kentucky author Patsi B. Trollinger, Perfect Timing is a winning combination of sports, history, and inspiring biography.

ISBN  978-097934312-4

Softcover, 32 pages, 22 original color illustrations

Recommended for ages 7 and up

Retail: $14.99

Schools and libraries may fax a purchase order to 859-332-7940.

Call 859-332-2400 for more information or to place an order by phone.

• Recommended for Black History Month

• Junior Library Guild Selection

• Children's Cooperative Book Center "Best of the Year" List

• Free Lesson Plans available online

"Readers will love the atmospherics of flying dirt and surging horses."
-The Chicago Tribune

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Patsi B. Trollinger grew up in a Tennessee family that loved telling stories, and she began putting her own stories on paper while in third grade. That led to a lifetime of writing, stories in numerous newspapers and magazines, including Ladybug. She now lives and writes in Danville, Kentucky, not far from the first track where Isaac Murphy raced.  Read more about Patsi at her website.

Free Lesson Plans online

Artist

Jerome Lagarrigue was born and raised in Paris, France, before moving to the United States where he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. He received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for his illustrations for Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, and has also illustrated several other highly acclaimed picture books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and divides his time between children's book illustrations, painting large-scale portraits, and teaching at Parsons School of Design. Read more about Jerome at his website.

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