Skip to main content

Five Faves: Sports Books to Read if You Love the Olympics

Image
By
After a long, COVID-delayed wait, we are so excited to have the Olympics back! Because I was a little kid growing up in Utah when the Olympics came to Salt Lake City, I always get very invested in the Olympics -- it's something I look forward to for years!

I'm always eager to keep the Olympic spirit going, and if your family feels the same, here are some great sport-centric picture books to keep the Olympic flame alive in your home!

By Laurie Hernandez
Illustrated by Nina Mata
New York: Harper, 2018.

Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez, part of the final five Gymnastics team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shares important life lessons about following your dreams -- even when it gets a little scary.




By Chelsea Clinton
Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
New York: Philomel Books, 2020.

Part of the popular "She Persisted" series, this illustrated book shares inspirational stories of American women who made history at the Olympics in the face of obstacles.




By Michael Phelps and Alan Abrahamson
Illustrated by Ward Jenkins
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.

In 2008, before many young readers were even born, Michael Phelps made history by winning 8 gold medals in swimming. He trained for 6 years, ate a half a ton of food per year, and swam more than 60,000 meters to prepare for this accomplishment! This book is a goofy look at the life of an Olympic champion.

By Ma Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by Anna Katharina Jansen
Minneapolis, MN: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2020.

A part of the very popular Little People, BIG DREAMS series, this book is an introduction to the legendary track and field star Jesse Owens who challenged racism on the world stage at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.




By Meghan McCarthy
New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016.

If you've never heard the wild, unbelievable, and incredibly true story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon -- the first Olympic marathon held on American soil -- you are in for a treat. Everything about the race was contrary to what we've come to expect from the Olympics (the winner of the race cheated by catching a ride in a car!) which makes it all the more hilarious.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more