Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood From Sports Legends by David Stabler

Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports LegendsI read very few non-fiction books. However, I love sports, and this book shares interesting stories about sports superstars when they were kids. Peyton Manning says the most pressure he's ever felt was dancing the tango on stage in front of his family and friends. I had to look up the video on YouTube after reading his story! I never knew Jackie Robinson was the leader of a street gang or that Babe Ruth was sent to a reform school at age seven. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas and 7' 6" Yao Ming were victims of bullies as they grew up. Babe Zaharias and Billie Jean King were discriminated against from competing in sports, because they were girls. Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players in the world, needed to get growth hormone injections, because people thought he was too small to play.

The short stories are easy to read and tell the childhood challenges of male and female superstar athletes. Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Danica Patrick are just a few of the other athletes shared in the book. Their stories should inspire all young readers to keep trying to reach  their dreams. I liked how the book covered sports ranging from gymnastics to boxing, football to sumo wrestling, and baseball to soccer. There are stories of athletes from long ago, and stories of athletes still competing today. The short story format should appeal to young readers, since they don't need to remember the plot and all of the characters, like in a fictional novel. It's saying something when a non-fiction book can entertain and inform as well as this book. All sports fans will love it!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments unrelated to the books being described will be removed.