Give the gift that lasts! LearningStore: the best educational products at the best prices -- your purchases directly support Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

Books by Theme

Winning Books About the Olympics and Fun Summer Sports

Experience the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and the general fun of the Olympics with these recommended "gold medal" books for kids ages 0-9. Tap into the hubbub surrounding summertime sports by kicking in these winning nonfiction, poetry, and picture books for kids to read.

  • Email this page
  • Print-friendly version of this page
A Picture Book of Jesse Owens
A Picture Book of Jesse Owens
By: David Adler
Illustrated by: Robert Casilla
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

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.

Ancient Greece and the Olympics (A Magic Treehouse Research Guide)
Ancient Greece and the Olympics (A Magic Treehouse Research Guide)
By: Mary Pope Osborne
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Where and how the Olympics began is explored in this factual companion to Hour of the Olympics (one in the 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.

Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House #16)
Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House #16)
By: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by: Sal Murdocca
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

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

Little Rat Sets Sail
Little Rat Sets Sail
By: Monica Bang-Campbell
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

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.

Sports! Sports! Sports! A Poetry Collection
Sports! Sports! Sports! A Poetry Collection
By: Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by: Brian Floca
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

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.

Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
By: Sue Macy
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

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.

The Lucky Baseball Bat
The Lucky Baseball Bat
By: Matt Christopher
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

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?

The Mud Flat Olympics
The Mud Flat Olympics
By: James Stevenson
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

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.

The Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympics
By: Bob Knotts
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

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

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
By: Kathleen Krull
Illustrated by: David Diaz
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

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.

Proceeds from the sale of books purchased at Amazon.com help support the Reading Rockets project. Thank you!

Get our newsletters!

Follow Reading Rockets

Become a fan of Reading Rockets on Facebook! Watch our videos on YouTube Check out our podcasts in iTunes

"A Tale of Two Schools was a wonderful and inspiring documentary that shed a human light on the problems and triumphs of our public education system.
~ Regina

Reading Rockets Podcasts

Featured Sister Site

AdLit.org: Resources for parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers.

AdLit.org: All about Adolescent Literacy