Summer Olympics and Fun Summer Sports

Wilma Rudolph not only overcame polio, she went on to become the first woman to win three Olympic gold medals in Rome in 1960. Semiabstract paintings convey her power and personality in this accessible picture book biography.

Can a poem capture the excitement, exhilaration, or anguish of defeat when playing sports? The poems here do all that and more! It’s an easy-to-read collection that’s illustrated with just the right light touch.

Jesse Owens was a breakthrough athlete – an African American who captured the world stage (and four gold medals!) at the 11th Olympiad in Nazi Germany. In this book, readers will learn about his life through brief text and watercolor illustrations. Younger readers may enjoy Patricia and Fredrick McKissack’s picture book, Jesse Owens: Olympic Star.

Where and how the Olympics began is explored in this factual companion to Hour of the Olympics (in the Magic Tree House fantasy series in which siblings Annie and Jack time travel). The informational book stands alone or can augment the novel (for 6-9 year olds) as they explore the origins of the Olympics.

Even though the ancient Greeks conceived the Olympics, it was a small Frenchman “with a shrill voice and a bushy mustache” who almost single-handedly brought the modern Olympics to life again. This revealing, clear, and handsome book provides an engaging and authoritative overview of the summer Olympics.

Little Rat really doesn’t want to start the lessons her parents have arranged; she’s afraid of sailing! But with the help of an amiable instructor, Little Rat overcomes her fear and learns not only to sail, but to enjoy it as well.

Annie and Jack travel back in time to the first Olympic games to retrieve a lost story, in this Magic Tree House story. There they learn a lot about what girls were — and were not — permitted to do in Ancient Greece.

The animals of Mud Flat decide to let the games begin in their unique version of Olympic competition. From the “Deepest Hole Contest” to the “River-Cross Freestyle,” readers will chuckle with the furry Olympians.

Martin is convinced that he’s lost his ability to hit when his favorite baseball bat goes missing. Can he get both his bat and his confidence back in time to help the team win the championship?

This straightforward introduction to the summer Olympics and their origins provides basic information and history for capable readers.

A collection of fast-paced poetry follows a cast of spirited pachyderms as they compete for gold in a variety of Olympic sports, such as diving, triathlon, hammer throw, and figure skating.