You can hear the excitement in the first trumpets of the anthem, see it in the flicker of the torch, feel it in the slap of chalky hands against a gymnastics bar. Every two years, the Olympic Games captivate viewers of all ages with superhuman feats of speed and strength, and with human stories of perseverance. The Games exemplify the ability of athletics to entertain and inspire — and, for young people, they can offer new dreams, new heroes and countless valuable lessons in sportsmanship. For sports nerds and Olympics newbies alike, these books will educate and delight, preparing children to cheer all summer long.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Gold!
By Scott Allen. Illustrated by Antoine Corbineau.
This colorful primer introduces young readers to the ins and outs of Olympic sports, from archery to wrestling. Each chapter digs into the rules and history of a particular game, lays out the upsides and downsides of the discipline and offers some handy terminology that will have kids commentating like pros. (Ages 10 to 12)
Breaking to the Beat!
By Linda J. Acevedo. Illustrated by Frank Morrison.
Allen’s book was published in 2020, so it does not cover one of the newest additions to the Summer Olympics: breaking, which makes its debut this year. Acevedo explores the history of break dance, with its thrilling meld of athletic prowess and artistic expression, through the beautifully illustrated story of a Bronx B-boy named Manolo, a.k.a. Kid Flex, and his crew. (Ages 6 to 10)
Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women’s Olympics
By Jean L.S. Patrick. Illustrated by Adam Gustavson.
The Paris Games are expected to make history as the first Olympics to achieve gender parity, with around 5,250 men and 5,250 women set to compete. The road to this milestone stretches back to 1922, when the track and field star Ludy Godbold — the focus of this whimsical biography — was one of just 77 athletes who competed in the first “female Olympic Games.” (Ages 6 to 9)
The Frog Olympics
By Brian Moses. Illustrated by Amy Husband.
For the youngest readers, this amphibious adventure makes for a great read-aloud, with rhyming text and cheerful illustrations. And the story’s lessons of inclusion, resilience and good sportsmanship are important to instill at every age. (Ages 0 to 5)
Kid Olympians: Summer
By Robin Stevenson. Illustrated by Allison Steinfeld.
Olympic athletes do not start out as elite competitors. They start out as kids, discovering a new passion in gym class, after-school programs or their own backyard. This book focuses on those early years, when now-iconic figures such as Serena Williams, Usain Bolt and Megan Rapinoe were first finding their way, overcoming obstacles and learning valuable lessons that would carry them to the Olympic stage. (Ages 8 to 12)
How to Train With a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals
By Michael Phelps with Alan Abrahamson. Illustrated by Ward Jenkins.
How does one go from a child amateur to an Olympic champion? The American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, offers some playful and practical tips in this volume, which breaks down his journey to the record books by the numbers. (Ages 6 to 9)
Flying High
By Michelle Meadows. Illustrated by Ebony Glenn.
There are several well-known athletes competing this summer, but none may be more hotly anticipated than Simone Biles, already the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history, who is returning for her third Games. Meadows and Glenn follow her journey from foster care to the world stage in this biography in verse. (Ages 4 to 8)
Swimming Toward a Dream
By Reem Faruqi. Illustrated by Asma Enayeh.
While most Olympians enter the opening ceremony with the flag of their home country, athletes who have been displaced from their homelands have marched since 2016 behind the Olympic banner, as members of the Refugee Olympic Team. This book explores the remarkable journey of one of those competitors: Yusra Mardini, a swimmer and two-time Olympian who fled her home in Damascus during the Syrian civil war. (Ages 4 to 8)
The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
By Pat Zietlow Miller. Illustrated by Frank Morrison.
Throughout their history, the Olympics have moved people with heroic stories of determination. In Miller and Morrison’s charming book, the protagonist’s hero is the runner Wilma Rudolph, who overcame poverty and polio to become a three-time gold medalist in 1960, and whose hometown victory parade was the first integrated public event held in Clarksville, Tenn. (Ages 5 to 8)
Wings of an Eagle
By Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman. Illustrated by S.D. Nelson.
This new autobiographical picture book, co-written by the Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills, a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Tribe and the only American runner to ever win the 10,000-meter race, traces the connections between his Native heritage and his journey to the Games and beyond. Vibrant illustrations by Nelson, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, bring the story to life. (Ages 4 to 8)
Sakamoto’s Swim Club
By Julie Abery. Illustrated by Chris Sasaki.
Athletes tend to be the ones in the Olympic spotlight, but it takes many people to get them to that stage. This moving book shines a light on one of those lesser-known essential figures: Soichi Sakamoto, a Hawaiian science teacher turned swim coach who trained a generation of champions, including the gold medalist Bill Smith. (Ages 5 to 8)
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