David Stabler (Goodreads Author), Doogie Horner (Illustrations)
Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports Legends
November 17th 2015 by Quirk Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com
While this brightly colored, highly illustrated corporate biography book comes in at over 200 pages, it's a quick read full of interesting information. The stories of the various sports figures are divided into chapters such as family, adversity, etc. and concentrate more on the issues that the athletes faced as children's and how these events molded their adult careers. Well know figures, such as Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Michael Jordan are mixed with lesser-known characters such as Lionel Messi, Jesse Kuhaulua, and Julie Krone. I was particularly glad to see that Billie Jean King and Babe Didrickson Zaharias were included and hope that readers who pick this up will be motivated to go find longer biographies on individuals who interest them.
The colored graphics will be appealing to readers, but I always struggle with biographies who have no photographs of the subjects at all. I also would have liked a slightly more complete bibliography, since this is such a good springboard to other reading.
The first book in this series, Kid Presidents, has an Accelerated Reader test for it. If this book has a test written, I'll buy it. Sometimes that's the only way I can get students to read nonfiction, although sports books are always popular.
I'm intrigued by this. Not generally a fan of group/ball sports, I have a hard time coming up with any suggestions for readers who want that sort of thing. This looks like something I could read and enjoy, then recommend. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe youngest of my three boys is the only one remotely interested in sports (the other two are thespians), and he is all over this book. I think it helps him to believe that his sporting idols were kids like him once, and that he therefore has a chance to make it to the big time. I am liking the humor of the illustrations!
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