Sports and the Olympics

Get ready for figure skating, diving, slalom racing, and more – elephant style! This cast of spirited pachyderms compete for gold medals in the Elympics. This collection of fast-paced poetry will have you laughing and cheering as each new character strives in a different event.

Max and Marla are best friends. And aspiring Olympians! With their eyes on the prize, they know exactly what it’ll take to reach sledding success: preparation, practice and perseverance. So when rusty blades, strong winds and difficult slopes get in their way, Max and Marla realize true joy lies not in winning but in friendship. Obstacles turn into victories!

Did you know that as a boy, Pelé played soccer in bare feet with a grapefruit instead of a soccer ball? In this bilingual book, Monica Brown shares the inspirational story of the beloved soccer star's rise from humble beginnings to becoming El rey del fútbol. Rudy Gutiérrez's brilliant and fluid illustrations of Pelé and "the beautiful game" of soccer leap off the page.

Can a poem capture the excitement, exhilaration, or anguish of defeat when playing sports? The poems here do all that and more! It's an easy-to-read collection that's illustrated with just the right light touch.

A portrait of a true American sports hero, Jackie Robinson, who was the first African American to play on a major league baseball team.

At just over 5 feet tall, no one thought Mamie Johnson, also known as "Peanut" because of her size, would become a baseball star. But she sure could pitch! The author collaborated with the actual Mamie Johnson to tell the riveting — and real — story of how Peanut Johnson became one of three women to play professionally in the Negro Baseball League.

Where and how the Olympics began is explored in this factual companion to Hour of the Olympics (one in the fantasy series in which siblings Annie and Jack time travel). The informational book stands alone or can augment the novel (for 6-9 year olds) as they explore the origins of the Olympics.

The most celebrated black cowboy was Bill Pickett, a fearless rodeo star with a knack for taming bulls that brought the crowds to their feet. The closing note in this book provides an overview of the history of rodeos and black cowboys.

Jim Thorpe's childhood was a mix of hard work in the outdoors and a succession of military-strict "Indian Schools" that relentlessly imposed white culture on Native American children. Then in 1907, wearing overalls and a work shirt, he effortlessly broke his school high-jump record – a feat that launched a remarkable athletic career in track, football, and baseball, culminating at the 1912 Olympics, where Thorpe won the decathlon with a world record score that would stand for almost 20 years and the pentathlon with a points total that would never be beaten.

A trip to Brazil inspired this look at a unique sport called "capoeira." The result is a compelling journey into capoeira's history and its popularity around the world. The book begins with students at an academy in Oakland, California. Well-placed and -paced, full-color photographs chronicle this amazing activity.

Readers will discover the pageantry of the original games; Pierre de Coubertin's revival of the modern games in 1896; the variety of Olympic sports; astounding world records; the intense training Olympians endure; the politics of Olympic games; and much more. Here's a glorious celebration of the world's finest athletes and their spirit of competition and excellence.

Visually stunning and informative, Ali’s early life, how it influenced him, as well as his many accomplishments are presented. Dramatic illustrations are enhanced by the presentation of text in different typefaces. A timeline concludes this brief biography.

This book showcases athletes and events that not only set sports records but also impacted history and world views. Learn the meaning behind the five interlocking rings featured on the Olympic flag. Cheer on American Jim Thorpe as he won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, only to lose his medals later. Read how the man dubbed as the "world's laziest high jumper" won the gold in 1968 and later had a jump named after him.

Annie and Jack travel back in time to the first Olympic games to retrieve a lost story. There they learn a lot about what girls were — and were not — permitted to do in Ancient Greece. (Magic Tree House #16)

Ashima Shiraishi, one of the world's youngest and most skilled climbers in the world, draws on her experience in this true story of strength and perseverance — in rock climbing and in life.

When Trey loses his lucky piece of sea glass, he’s convinced that his luck is gone, too. He goes into a slump in baseball, not certain that he can ever get his mojo back. Baseball fans will enjoy the baseball terms and jargon and just may figure out that lucky charms are not what create success on or off the baseball field.

Jackie loved to pitch baseball. Her long practices paid off when at 17-years old she pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts in a demonstration game against the New York Yankees. Jackie struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig — and forever changed baseball's rules. The excitement of Jackie Mitchell's story is well-paced, illustrated with slightly exaggerated and altogether winning illustrations.

Nadia Comaneci was a feisty and fearless little girl who went from climbing trees in the forests of Romania to swinging into history at the 1976 Olympic Games, where she received an unprecedented seven perfect scores in gymnastics. But as readers will see in this first-ever illustrated picture book about Nadia’s journey to Olympic gold, the road from small-town girl to world-class athlete was full of many imperfect moments.

Effa Manley, born when jazz was new and sports were segregated, was passionate about fairness and baseball. She was to become the first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with players from the Negro Baseball League. Her life is presented in stylized illustration and clear text, for an intriguing portrait of a person and a time.

The inspirational true story of Sammy Lee, a Korean American who overcame discrimination to realize both his father's desire that he become a doctor and his own dream of becoming an Olympic champion diver.

Lush, realistic illustrations combine with a simple text to suggest what it must have been like when the pioneering Jackie Robinson played ball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Additional factual information is included in what is made to look like baseball cards on each page. The result is a handsome book that can be appreciated by different ages.

While Tacky's friends train for the winter games, he sleeps during sit-ups, pigs out on pizza and doughnuts, and goofs off late into the night. The author brings in many facets of the Olympics: training before the games, the march of the athletes into the stadium for the opening ceremonies that include the lighting of a torch. Of course, there are also differences between these games and the televised ones — for skis, the penguins strap frozen fish to their feet! [Booklist]

Even as a kid, Max had a good arm. He even pitched while he served in the Navy where he struck out Joe DiMaggio. The next time he pitched to the star, Joltin’ Joe hit a homerun which is when Max’s career as a baseball clown really started. Meet Max Patkin and follow his unusual baseball career in comic illustrations and straightforward text.

This straightforward introduction to the summer Olympics and their origins provides basic information and history for capable readers.

In Alice Coachman's Georgia hometown, there was no track where an African-American girl could practice, so she made her own crossbar with sticks and rags. With the support of her coach, friends, and community, Alice started to win medals. Her dream to compete at the Olympics came true in 1948. This is an inspiring free-verse story of the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Photos of Alice Coachman are also included.

Wilma Rudolph not only overcame polio, she went on to become the first woman to win three Olympic gold medals in Rome in 1960. Semi-abstract paintings convey her power and personality in this accessible picture book biography.

Before Pedro Martínez pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship, before he was named to the All-Star team eight times, before he won the Cy Young three times, he was a kid from a place called Manoguayabo in the Dominican Republic. Pedro loved baseball more than anything, and his older brother Ramon was the best pitcher he’d ever seen. He’d dream of the day he and his brother could play together in the major leagues.

Mamie "Peanut" Johnson had one dream: to play professional baseball, but she wasn't welcome in the segregated All-American Girls Pro Baseball League due to the color of her skin. A greater opportunity came her way in 1953 when Johnson signed to play ball for the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns, becoming the first female pitcher to play on a men's professional team. During the three years she pitched for the Clowns, her record was an impressive 33-8. But more importantly, she broke ground for other female athletes and for women everywhere.

An introduction by baseball great Hank Aaron opens this riveting look at the history of the Negro League. A large format supports revealing portraits of League players and an absorbing narration revealed in nine innings. Endnotes and further readings conclude this memorable and accessible history.