New Children's Biography On Robert Wadlow Released

Nov. 15, 2010 - PRLog -- A new biography on Robert Wadlow, still the tallest man on record, is now available, authored by children’s writer Jennifer Phillips. The 48-page biography is most suitable for grades 4-6 and includes historical images.

Robert Wadlow—The Unique Life of the Boy Who Became the World’s Tallest Man shares the life story of Robert, who was adult size by age 5 due to an overactive pituitary gland. Robert had much to cope with—daily living in a world not designed for his size, relentless curiosity by the public and health challenges—and yet he faced all with patience, humor and resilience.

Robert lived from 1918-1940, dying when an infection in his foot spread out of control. He was just shy of 9 feet tall when he died.

Phillips grew up in Alton, Illinois where Robert lived for most of his life. A former newspaper reporter, she now lives in Shoreline, Washington and focuses primarily on children's literature.

“I’ve always found Robert’s story fascinating. Not just because of the details of his height, but because he found a way to handle the challenges with grace and optimism,” Phillips said. “He clearly had strong family support that must have helped tremendously. But even that can be insufficient if a person can’t find inner strength and perspective to cope. Robert found this and I think we all can be inspired by Robert’s story as we reflect on how we deal with our own challenges.”

The paperback (suggested retail of $7.99, ISBN 1453829474) is now available on http://www.amazon.com and the eBook (suggested retail of $3.99, ISBN 978-1-4524-6469-5) is available through http://www.smashwords.com. Both versions will be available through additional online retailers by January. Retailers, schools and libraries can order wholesale through Ingram, Baker and Taylor, and Create Space Direct.

Schools can contact Phillips through her website, http://www.noseinabookpublishing.com, for more information or to explore having her participate in classroom discussions about Wadlow or her process of writing the book. You'll also find a learning guide and video book trailer for the Wadlow biography on the website.