Written by Maria Le and illustrated by Clarice Elliott
Kids play games all over the world and this book shares a variety of those games. Games are separated into chapters that highlight ball games, board games and playground games. Three or four games are described in each chapter and include their place of origin and a sentence or two about the game. Accompanying illustrations serve to enhance the short paragraphs on each page/two page spread. Unfamiliar words are italicized and a glossary is at the front. A fun addition is at the back where readers are instructed to create their own board game.
Characters are diverse in the illustrations and there is a nice mix of cultures/countries included in the chapters. Interestingly, football is used instead of the Americanized soccer to denote that game. It makes sense, since football is the more universally accepted name. But, it might confuse some young readers. Purchase this book for your younger readers as a nice introduction to other cultures and games. They might even want to learn some of the games as well! Recommended.
Dive into the world of the Miami Dolphins with this captivating team profile! Covering the team’s incredible perfect season in 1972 to the successful seasons under quarterback Dan Marino, this book highlights the Dolphins’ history, accomplishments, and legendary players. Kids will enjoy learning about game day traditions and T.D., the team’s mascot.
Written at a 2nd-grade reading level, it’s ideal for students from elementary to middle school. The book includes a useful table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map showing the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page also encourages students to continue exploring the Dolphins, both in the library and online. This is a must-read for any young Dolphins fan!
Dive into the world of the New Orleans Saints with this captivating team profile! Covering the team’s journey from their inception in 1966 to their Super Bowl 44 victory in 2010, this book highlights the Saints’ history, accomplishments, and legendary players. Kids will enjoy learning about game day traditions and meeting mascots Sir Saint and Gumbo.
Written at a 2nd-grade reading level, it’s ideal for students from elementary to middle school. The book includes a useful table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map showing the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page also encourages students to continue exploring the Saints, both in the library and online. This is a must-read for any young Saints fan!
Explore the Cleveland Browns in this captivating team profile! This book delves into the team’s history, accomplishments, and legendary players. Learn about game day excitement with the “Browns Backers” and discover how many championships the Browns have won by taking a look at the trophy case.
Written at a 2nd-grade reading level, it’s ideal for students from elementary to middle school. The book includes a useful table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map showing the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page also encourages students to continue exploring the Browns, both in the library and online. This is a must-read for any young Browns fan!
Discover the Denver Broncos in this captivating team profile! With vibrant photos and engaging text, the book highlights the team’s history, accomplishments, and legendary players like Jon Elway. Written at a 2nd-grade reading level, it’s perfect for students from elementary to middle school.
The book features a helpful table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map showing the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page also encourages students to explore the Broncos further, both in the library and online. This is a must-read for any young Broncos fan!
Learn more about the Dallas Cowboys through this captivating team profile! Written at a 2nd grade reading level, this book is ideal for elementary to middle school students. With vibrant photos and engaging text, it highlights the team’s history, accomplishments, and legendary players, keeping readers thoroughly engaged.
The book also includes useful text features like a table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map of the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page encourages students to continue exploring the Cowboys both in the library and online. This book is a must-read for any young Cowboys fan!
Learn more about the Monsters of the Midway through this captivating team profile of the Chicago Bears! Written at a 2nd grade reading level, this book is ideal for elementary to middle school students. With dynamic photos and engaging text, it highlights the team’s history, accomplishments, and legendary players, keeping readers thoroughly engaged.
The book also includes useful text features like a table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map of the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page encourages students to continue exploring the Bears both in the library and online. This book is a must-read for any young Bears fan!
Discover the New York Giants through this captivating team profile! Written at a 2nd grade reading level, this book is ideal for elementary to middle school students. With fun photos and engaging text, it highlights the team’s history, accomplishments, and legendary players, keeping readers thoroughly engaged.
The book also includes useful text features like a table of contents, a timeline of key events, a map of the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page encourages students to continue exploring the Giants both in the library and online. This book is a must-read for any young Giants fan!
Discover the Los Angeles Chargers through this captivating team profile! Written at a 2nd grade reading level, this book is ideal for elementary to middle school students. With vibrant photos and engaging text, it highlights the team’s history, accomplishments, and legendary players, keeping readers thoroughly engaged.
The book includes helpful features like a table of contents, a timeline of key events in the team’s history, a map of the team’s location, a glossary, and an index. A “To Learn More” page encourages students to further explore the Chargers, both in the library and online. This book is a must-read for any young Chargers fan!
For a reader who doesn’t typically go for sports-themed books, the book Golden Arm by Carl Deuker made for unexpectedly entertaining and sometimes suspenseful reading. If you do love baseball, it will just make this a more enjoyable read. In this coming-of-age story, Lazarus (Laz) is a student in an underserved Seattle high school negotiating many challenges at school, home, and on his baseball teams. He’s a gifted pitcher with a “golden arm” and a shy kid who has a stutter and a learning disability. Laz grew up in a trailer park without many of the privileges that the students in a wealthy district up north don’t even think twice about. Cell phones (not throwaway flip-phones), personal transportation (he rides the bus and walks long distances), a personal bedroom stocked with a computer, access to math tutoring, or having an actual pitching coach are things that he regards as luxuries and out of reach. His mom and half-brother Antonio are his family; his dad is out of the picture. Laz has the opportunity to contend for a state title on a team for a wealthy Seattle high school and his ultimate goal is to be a draft pick for the major leagues. It’s not a straightforward trajectory, though, and he has to deal with how to fit in at his new school, his alternate living situation, and how the cultural norms and expectations he experiences in his new setting mesh with his own developing personal ethics. The author does a nice job of using Laz’s point of view to portray the successes and challenges that are intrinsic to the growing-up process without over-analyzing or being preachy. It’s a high-interest story that’s a fairly quick read. Many young people will recognize and identify with Laz: being a poor kid with few resources trying to succeed in a culture defined by a rich, socially privileged class.
I do wish there was more development of the past relationship between Laz and his biological half brother Antonio because it is central to the plot. In the narrative they are real brothers who grew up together with no “half” about it, but Antonio’s character seems a bit hollow. Similarly, the character of Suja, Laz’s childhood friend (and romantic interest?) is underdeveloped and Suja seems more like support staff than a teenage girl Laz really likes. Even though the reader might wish for more thoroughly fleshed-out development of the important people in Laz’s life, overall the book is a satisfying read. Golden Arm should appeal to readers who enjoy a suspenseful plot that makes a few unexpected turns, and to those who tend towards the genres of sports, realistic fiction, and local color. However, it should appeal to a broader audience with a very elemental conundrum: How does a kid remain true to themselves when they have a tangible opportunity to “succeed” and live their dream, but to make this happen they must sacrifice the very relationships that helped make them who they are?
