Strong as Sandow

July 3, 2017
Tate (Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions) sheds light on a fascinating Victorian-era celebrity: Eugen Sandow (born in 1867 Prussia as Friedrich Wilhelm Müller), who helped usher in competitive bodybuilding. “Skinny” and “feeble” as a child, Sandow was fascinated by the physiques of classical statues, and he parleyed that interest into a career, ditching university to become a circus acrobat before embracing a life as an artist’s model, weightlifter, and performer. At one event in New York City, Sandow’s feats of strength led to gasps and faints, though perhaps due to his physicality: “His chiseled muscles were things of beauty.” Strong, crayonlike lines bring definition to those muscles in Tate’s dynamic illustrations, and closing pages detail the not-always-reliable information available about Sandow, Tate’s bodybuilding past, and exercises for young readers. Ages 6–9. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary.