Would your kids rather play ball than do their after-school reading? Captivating sports stories may be just the thing to grab their interest! Tales about favorite games and famous athletes could turn your reluctant readers into bookworms who never miss their daily reading goals.
1. Sporty Stories
Even young readers enjoy games! Early elementary students will appreciate the colorful illustrations and relatable tales in sports-themed picture books.
For boys and girls on summer ball teams, Dino-Baseball is not to be missed. Any kid who’s ever played in a close game will be able to relate to the action in this book.
Children don’t have to play on organized teams to enjoy sports stories. For a tale about recess games — and friendship lessons — check out Ella McKeen, Kickball Queen.
2. Favorite Athletes
By the upper elementary grades, kids are becoming stronger readers. At that point, they’re able to glean more information from the books they read. It’s a great time to introduce biographies, especially ones about sports stars.
Lerner Publishing’s Amazing Athletes series highlights famous players from nearly every sport. Try Abby Wambach for soccer players, Cam Newton for football fans, and Gabby Douglas for those who love gymnastics or the Olympics.
Another Lerner series to check out is Sports All-Stars. The featured athletes include Stephen Curry and Khalil Mack.
3. Familiar Situations
Middle school kids like to know that they’re not alone. Whether they are budding sports stars or struggle in PE class, they’ll appreciate the reassurance that other kids their age have been in similar situations. They’ll find what they’re looking for in Sports Shorts, a collection of autobiographical tales.
4. Sports History
The world of sports isn’t immune to real-life struggles. Your children can study the history of both segregation and baseball as they read Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio. The book’s reading level is geared toward elementary students, but even high schoolers will be captivated by the story.
To keep your kids reading even longer, make sure they know about Lerner’s Sports Encyclopedia available through LightSail. During their after-school hours, they can comb through this resource for facts and figures about their favorite athletes. And of course they will have access to World Book Encyclopedia’s article collection and Biography Center, and can watch videos and TED talks from athletes as well. There’s no wrong way to check out sports on LightSail!
Posted on 12.Dec.21 in Book Recommendations
