Robert Wadlow

Imagine being the tallest person in the world. As a child. You just keep growing and growing and growing...six feet...seven feet...eight feet up. The world is made in miniature and you must constantly endure. The crush of public attention is relentless. Some people are kind, some are mean. All are curious. This may sound like a tale from long ago, but this is the inspirational true life story of young Robert Wadlow. The victim of an overactive pituitary gland, Robert lived from 1918 to 1940. He stood just shy of 9 feet tall by the time of his death at age 22 and remains the world's tallest man in medical history listed in the Guinness World Records. Robert didn't choose his situation, but his accomplishment was in how he handled it. A children's biography about coming to terms with standing out and being different. Includes historical images. Grades 2-5.