Marilyn Taniguchi
179 Articles
Last 30 days
Last 6 months
Last 12 months
Last 24 months
Specific Dates
From:
To:
Let's Play Basketball
This is an acceptable series, designed with the needs of young readers in mind, though the "I Love Sports" (Jump!) series is a better choice for this audience.
These slight books use high-frequency words to encourage early readers to read independently. The simple layout and bright, colorful images may draw beginning readers in, but the stilted texts aren't engaging. Readers will glean some basic facts about each sport. Reading reinforcement tips are included. Review covers these Beginning to Read Book titles: Let's Play Basketball, Let's Play Football, Let's Play Hockey, and Let's Play Soccer.
Jump, Tuck, Flip: Mastering Cheerleading Skills and Stunts
Solid additions for those interested in the sport.
In Noise, both all-purpose and sport-specific cheers and chants are detailed, along with tips on enthusiasm, creativity, and sportsmanship. Jump presents cheering techniques, instructions for specific moves, and safety tips. High-energy color photos featuring a diverse group of girls illustrate all of the maneuvers. Back matter offers instructions for creating your own cheer (Noise) and nutritious game-day recipes (Jump). Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Snap Books: Cheer Spirit titles: Jump, Tuck, Flip and Make Some Noise.
Baltimore Ravens
Fans will enjoy browsing, but these are marginal additions.
Geared toward second and third graders, this series presents a brief overview of NFL teams. Following the same format, each book notes the team's history, playing location, key players (past and present), memorable games and seasons, and selected statistics. Although the text of each is lackluster, sports enthusiasts will appreciate the full-page photos of players in action. There are twenty-eight other fall 2015 books in this series. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Insider's Guide to Pro Football titles: Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots.
Longboard Skateboarding
Though these books are not particularly memorable, browsers and fans of these popular sports may be interested in them.
Aqua Sports
Browsers may enjoy these offerings, but those seeking detailed coverage should look elsewhere.
Geared at middle-elementary-age kids, each book discusses the most extreme (and often least practiced) edge of a water-based sport. Diving, for example, focuses on cliff diving and high diving from eighty-nine-foot platforms. The book design is problematic for young readers, as many pages include visually distracting shadowing behind the text. Stock photographs and slight, albeit flashy, content mark all six volumes. Glos., ind. Review covers these Wild Water titles: Aqua Sports, Diving, Personal Watercraft, Swimming in the Wild, Wakeboarding, and Water Parks.
Combat Sports
With the approach of the 2016 Olympics, these strong books will be welcome additions.
"The action. The drama. The glory." This series introduces popular sports included in the summer Olympics. Each volume traces the sport's history through a worldwide lens and discusses the technical aspects of the game or individual events within the sport. With attention-grabbing prose, high-interest subject matter, and captivating action shots, the series should be attractive to budding athletes. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Summer Olympic Sports titles: Combat Sports, Track and Field, Volleyball, Basketball, Gymnastics, and Swimming and Diving.
Who's Who of Pro Baseball: A Guide to the Game's Greatest Players
Fans will relish this set, though "Side-by-Side Sports" (Capstone, 2014) covers similar territory with better organization and more context.
Mid-elementary sports fans will be delighted by these titles, which offer glimpses of the achievements that made certain players, coaches, and teams stand out from others. Plenty of color action photographs, lively descriptions, and "remarkable records" and "stat-tastic" sidebars enhance the texts. Engaging and easy to navigate, the books fulfill the needs of both leisure reading and school assignments. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Sports Illustrated Kids: Who's Who of Pro Sports titles: Who's Who of Pro Baseball? and Who's Who of Pro Football?.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
