Sports

Let’s Go to Taekwondo! A Story About Persistence, Bravery, and Breaking Boards by Aram Kim

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Holiday House

Summary:  Yoomi is a dedicated taekwondo student looking forward to earning her yellow belt.  On the day of the test, she and the other white belt kids kick and punch with no problem.  When it comes to breaking a board, though, Yoomi is afraid of getting hurt and stops just short of the board.  Her teacher assures her she can try again, but Yoomi becomes so anxious about not being able to break the board that she stops going to class.  Her grandmother doesn’t try to force her to go but tells Yoomi that she is going to stop trying to learn how to use the computer to call her sister in Korea.  Yoomi encourages her to keep trying, and eventually Grandma succeeds.  Yoomi gets the point and returns to class the next day, where she finally breaks the board and gets her yellow belt.  Includes additional information about taekwondo.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This story of persistence is populated with adorable animals.  Grandma wisely shows rather than tells, and Yoomi shows courage in continuing to try something that is difficult for her.

Cons:  Master Cho is a scarily large rabbit…approximately the same size as one of the adult judges, a tiger, yet the mouse adult judge fits into the palm of the tiger’s hand (paw). 

The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale by Charly Palmer

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Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale: Palmer, Charly, Palmer, Charly: 9780374313289: Amazon.com: Books
The Legend of Gravity

Summary:  A girl tells the story of Gravity, a mysterious kid who shows up at the local playground basketball court and soon becomes a legend.  His real name is never told, but the other kids give him the nickname Gravity since he seems to defy it.  Soon Gravity has turned the team into champions, and they’re excited to go to the Best of the Best, Milwaukee’s pickup basketball tournament.  They easily defeat one team after the other until they face perennial champions the Flyers.  Gravity does his best, but by halftime, he’s exhausted.  He tells the rest of the team how they can work together to win, and each one uses their unique talents to defeat the Flyers by 17 points.  Gravity insists that they share the trophy, and “twenty-five years later, we still do.”  Includes an author’s note celebrating championship basketball players who never made it into the NBA.  40 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  If stories about Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill are feeling a little tired, here’s a new tall tale that kids will love, with colorful illustrations and plenty of basketball action.

Cons:  The somewhat abstract paintings made it occasionally difficult to distinguish one player from another.

Florence Griffith Joyner (She Persisted series) by Rita Williams-Garcia, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger

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Published by Philomel Books

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner by Rita Williams-Garcia, Chelsea Clinton: 9780593115954 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Summary:  This short chapter book is part of the series inspired by Chelsea Clinton’s She Persisted books.  Persistence is definitely a theme, as the story follows Florence from her childhood, growing up in a large family to college, to her struggles to pay her way through college, to her determination to become the world’s fastest woman.  Despite challenges and setbacks, she finally emerged victorious in the 1988 Summer Olympics, where she won three gold medals and one silver.  She was also well-known for her distinctive fashion designs that she wore on the track.  Sadly, the book ends with Flo-Jo’s death in 1998 at the age of 38 from an epileptic seizure in her sleep.  Includes a list of 8 ways you can persist and references.  80 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Normally, I’m not a fan of celebrity-authored children’s literature, so I’ve pretty much steered clear of Chelsea Clinton’s books.  But when I saw the award-winning authors writing these biographies, I finally broke down and read one.  It’s very well done, with plenty of information for both research and inspiration.  The length and illustrations make it an accessible choice for younger elementary kids, and I plan to add many of these books to my library. 

Cons:  I’m not sure I knew about Florence Griffith Joyner’s death, but if I did I had forgotten and was shocked when I got to that part of the book.

The Fastest Girl on Earth: Meet Kitty O’Neil, Daredevil Driver! By Dean Robbins, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley

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Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

The Fastest Girl on Earth!: Meet Kitty O'Neil, Daredevil Driver!: Robbins, Dean, Baddeley, Elizabeth: 9780593125717: Amazon.com: Books
The Fastest Girl on Earth!: Meet Kitty O'Neil, Daredevil Driver!: Robbins, Dean, Baddeley, Elizabeth: 9780593125717: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Kitty O’Neil may have lost her hearing as a baby, but she never let it stop her from doing the most daring deeds she could find.  From movie stunts to speed records for water skiing and boat racing, Kitty embraced any challenge.  Her biggest goal was to break the women’s land-speed record of 308 miles per hour in the Motivator, her rocket-powered car.  On December 6, 1976, Kitty drove across the Oregon desert, reaching a speed of 618 miles per hour.  Her fans cheered wildly: “Kitty could not hear their cheering, but she could feel it in her bones.”  Includes an author’s note with additional information about Kitty and her car; a list of her world records; and additional resources.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Focusing mostly on Kitty’s record-breaking drive, the story is exciting and incorporates facts about her early life.  The author’s note provides additional context.  This belongs on any list of books featuring people with disabilities.

Cons:  It seems unfair that Kitty had to average two drives for the world record, so the official speed is 512 mph.

Lucas Makes a Comeback and Lucas at the Paralympics by Igor Plohl, illustrated by Urška Stropnik Šonc

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Published by Holiday House

Lucas Makes a Comeback by Igor Plohl: 9780823447664 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
Lucas at the Paralympics by Igor Plohl: 9780823447657 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Summary: Slovenian author Igor Plohl has drawn on his own experiences to create Lucas, a lion who loses the use of his legs after falling off a ladder and injuring his spine. Lucas goes through a period of sadness, feeling like he has lost his independence and ability to work. With the help of therapists, friends, and family, he learns how to use a wheelchair and drive a car, gets his own apartment, and returns to his job as a teacher. Photos on the endpapers show Igor doing many of the activities that are described in the story.

In Lucas At the Paralympics, Lucas meets a fellow cyclist named Eddie, and the two of them decide to travel to the Summer Paralympic Games. Sidebars give additional information about the different competitions they attend. At the end, Lucas decides to train for the Paralympic Games in four years. Includes two pages of information about different events at the Winter Paralympic Games. Both books are 32 pages and recommended for ages 4-8.

Pros: Some much-needed picture books featuring a character with a disability. Readers will learn about some of the challenges faced by a person in a wheelchair, as well opportunities to compete in sports that are open to those with many different types of disabilities.. The book about the Paralympic Games is timely, since the 2021 Games take place at the end of the summer.

Cons: Given the restrictions of a picture book, Lucas’s journey to independence appears deceptively simple. Also, the photos of the author were on the endpapers, which meant some of them were covered up by the library dust jacket.

The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley, illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien

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Published by Millbrook Press

The Floating Field - By Scott Riley (hardcover) : Target
The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field Book Review |

Summary:  Prasit Nemmin and his friends could only play soccer a couple of times a month, since the sandbar they played on in their island village of Koh Panyee, Thailand was underwater the rest of the time.  Watching the World Cup on TV made them want to play every day, inspiring their plan to build a floating field.  Using cast-off wood and old barrels, they were able to build a platform that could stay afloat on top of buoys.  They practiced just about every day, and their persistence paid off with a third-place win at a local tournament.  Includes a two-page author’s note with photos and maps, and a note from Prasit about how and why he and his friends built the field back in 1986.  His love of soccer endures, and his son has played on the national champion Panyee Football Club.  Also includes some soccer words in Thai and a bibliography.  40 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  A great read for soccer fans and anyone who enjoys a good underdog story, with an emphasis on the importance of teamwork and persistence.  The back matter adds extra dimensions to the story.

Cons:  It looked like a huge nuisance to have to go into the water any time the ball went out of bounds. 

Fifth Quarter by Mike Dawson

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Published by First Second

The Fifth Quarter: Dawson, Mike: 9781250244178: Amazon.com: Books
The Fifth Quarter | Mike Dawson | Macmillan

Summary:  Lori’s just starting out in basketball, but she’s determined to become better.  Although her play is mostly limited to the exhibition “Fifth Quarter”, she has a pretty good shot and is interested in improving all her skills.  Extra lessons and a summer camp program pay off when she gets chosen for the fifth grade travel team.  She learns some valuable personal lessons through ups and downs with teammates and friends.  A subplot about her mom’s run for town council teaches her about determination and a willingness to keep going in the face of loss. The story ends in the middle of a game and will be continued in The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court, release date not yet announced.  240 pages; grades 3-6.  

Pros:  One can hardly go wrong with the sports/graphic novel combination, and this is sure to find a big following.  I’m always happy to find a book with a fourth grade protagonist, as they are vastly outnumbered in the middle-grade universe by fifth, sixth, and seventh graders. And Lori is very much a fourth-grader who doesn’t always understand the consequences of her actions (and that it’s not always all about her), but who tries hard to learn from her mistakes.

Cons:  I was fine with Lori’s thick black eyebrows, but her dad’s looked like he had two pieces of black duct tape stuck to his forehead.

Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero by Megan Hoyt, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

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Published by Quill Tree Books

Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero: Hoyt, Megan, Bruno, Iacopo: 9780062908117: Amazon.com: Books
Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero: Hoyt, Megan, Bruno, Iacopo: 9780062908117: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Gino Bartali gained fame in Europe when he won the Tour de France in 1938.  So when Archbishop Elia Dalla Costa recruited him to help Jewish families escape the Nazis, Gino was ready.  He began cycling all over Italy, delivering fake identity papers to families in hiding.  He also used his fame by visiting train stations and distracting autograph-seeking soldiers while families destined for concentration camps were quickly rerouted onto other trains.  Forced into the Italian militia, he became a spy who helped rescue English P.O.W.’s.  After the war, he went on to win another Tour de France, but never talked about the more than 800 lives he had saved, stating that “Some medals are pinned to your soul, not your jacket.”  Includes a timeline, a letter from Bartali’s granddaughter Lisa, an author’s note, and a list of sources.  40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Another gripping story of a modest World War II hero that would pair nicely with Peter Sis’ Nicky and Vera.  The illustrations, which look like vintage posters, add a lot to the story. 

Cons:  There was very little information on Gino Bartali’s life before or after World War II.  Also no photos, so here’s one.

Gino Bartali | The Game of Their Lives - The Stories of Righteous Among the Nations Who Devoted Their Lives to Sport | Yad Vashem

Rivals by Tommy Greenwald

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Rivals: Greenwald, Tommy: 9781419748271: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Carter and Austin play basketball for rival middle schools in the town of Walthorne, and each one has a reason to love–and to hate–the game.  Carter’s parents, who are divorced and struggling financially, see basketball as Carter’s ticket to success, while Austin’s former-college-star dad wants his son to have the shot at the NBA he missed out on.  Both boys are young enough to remember back to the days when basketball was played just for fun, but now the pressure results in injuries, cheating, and bullying.  A crisis at a girls’ game brings things to a head, and Carter and Austin team up to play one more game–on their terms.  320 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  Tommy Greenwald is one of those authors who kind of flies under the radar, but I pretty much always love his books.  This one is written in the same style as Game Changer, with alternating points of view, texts, and a blog written by aspiring sports reporter Alfie Jenks.  Perfect for sports fans, reluctant readers, and those who enjoy writers like Gordon Korman and Kwame Alexander.

Cons:  I found it a bit confusing to have three main characters named Clay, Chase, and Carter.

There Goes Patti McGee! The Story of the First Women’s National Skateboard Champion by Tootie Nienow, illustrated by Erika Medina

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Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

There Goes Patti McGee!: The Story of the First Women's National Skateboard Champion: Nienow, Tootie, Medina, Erika Rodriguez: 9780374313999: Amazon.com: Books
There Goes Patti McGee! | Tootie Nienow | Macmillan

Summary:  The first time Patti McGee saw a group of boys on skateboards, she mounted a board on her roller skate wheels, and took off down the tallest hill in her neighborhood.  She was hooked, but the wheels kept falling off her board, and a real skateboard was expensive.  When she heard about a new skateboarding team starting up, with a free board as part of the deal, she practiced even harder.  Making the team inspired her to enter a competition, where she showed off her best trick: a handstand on a moving board that she held for six seconds.  Her perfect score won her the championship and launched a skateboarding career.  Includes a page answering the question “Where Is She Now?”, an author’s note, a photo of Patty performing her handstand, and a list of sources.  48 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  Patti’s enthusiasm and determination (particularly on the page that shows her applying multiple band-aids to her bleeding arms and legs) will be an inspiration and introduce kids to a little-known sports star.  

Cons:  Missed Women’s History Month by that much.