Books about Sport and the Olympics
With the delayed 2020 Olympics just around the corner, children’s book expert, Joy Court, shares a few of her recommendations for books to get you limbering up for all that sporting excitement.
The Proudest Blue. Ibithaj Muhammad with S.K.Ali. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Andersen Press, 2020, pp40, £7.99. ISBN: 978-1783449729
This collaboration, between the first American Olympic medallist to compete wearing a hijab and an award-winning Muslim YA author, not only has a real Olympic connection but is a very useful and positive window into Muslim life. It is also a beautiful story of sisterly love as well as a thoughtful depiction of the significance of wearing the hijab. Expressed in terms of family pride and self-determination rather than in terms of faith, makes the message particularly accessible to all young readers regardless of their background.
I Really Want to Win. Simon Philips and Lucia Gaggiotti . Templar,2019, pp40, £6.99. ISBN: 978-1787414112
This little girl tries and tries to win. She really wants to win! It all starts with a race and she is in the lead, but trips. A calamity repeated across every school in the land and so this is very good preparation for little would-be athletes. Time and again her ambition is thwarted. Her friend wins everything. The sense of injustice felt is so perfectly captured in the bold expressive illustrations that reveal the little girl’s impulsive character and her constantly changing emotions. She learns a valuable lesson about enjoying an activity for its own sake and resilience triumphs in this completely relatable story, which will prompt useful discussion as well as laugh out loud moments.
The Fastest Boy in the World. Elizabeth Laird. Macmillan, 2014, pp176, £6.99. ISBN: 978-1447267171
The author’s knowledge of and passion for Ethiopia shines through every page of this heart stopping story of running obsessed Solomon. Taken to Addis Ababa by his grandfather, who is pursuing family secrets, he is thrilled by the opportunity to see the Olympic heroes parade in triumph. But when his grandfather falls ill, Solomon must find the strength to run the twenty miles from city to home to try and save his life. A run which starts off his future career as a long-distance Olympic runner. A short novel which packs a real punch.
Harry Miller’s Run. David Almond and Salvatore Rubbino. Walker, 2016, pp64, £7.99. ISBN: 978-1406365924
Gloriously illustrated in full colour, this is a joyful celebration of the physicality of running. The lyrical writing, infused with the cadences of the Geordie dialect, seamlessly weaves together the historical story of Harry Miller and how in his boyhood with a group of friends, on one glorious summer day, they ran all the way from Newcastle to the coast at South Shields, with the present-day story of Liam, in training for the Junior Great North Run. Beautifully evocative of a simpler time, of memories and the joy of intergenerational relationships.
On Your Marks, Get Set, Gold! A Funny and Fact-filled Guide to Every Olympic Sport. Scott Allen. Illustrated by Antoine Corbineau. Nosy Crow, 2021, pp96, £14.99 ISBN: 978-1788008716
Publishing in May, this is exactly what you need to ensure you have up to date, relevant, inspiring and entertaining coverage of Olympic and Paralympic sports. Absolutely an information text that will be read for pleasure, this is almost addictively browsable and hard to put down. Starting with a very useful history and timeline of the origins of the games and concluding with a look at potential Olympic sports, the contents are divided into sections by type of sport: Having a Ball, Splashing Around, Riding High etc. Each sport has an attractive double page spread with regular features highlighting the skills, rules, history and equipment needed. I particularly like the Sound Like a Pro box which shows the amazing range of specific ‘lingo’ that each sport has developed and the ratings meter which tells you your chances of becoming a champion. The whole focus of the book is to inspire young people to take part- as the introduction says “Everybody has the potential”
To download Joy’s full list simply click below.
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