It’s not the taking part, it’s the winning that counts for Patina!
Patty, as she’s known to her friends and family, has lost a lot in her life – her dad died when she was young, her mum has lost her legs and now she has to live with her uncle and his wife. On top of that Patty has to go to the poshest school that ever existed. Now her running team has become a relay team and independent “I can do everything by myself” Patty has to work with her team mates to win.
AJ’s grandfather has always been the one to keep his unusual family together, so when he dies things start to unravel at the edges. AJ is worried about his parents but they don’t really seem to notice. In order to deal with his grief and to keep his anxiety at bay, AJ does what he and his grandfather did best: running. Round and round the Olympic Park, aiming for the cross country trials. Running to escape, AJ only seems to be heading ever closer to disaster.
Running On Empty is a beautiful book about false starts and emotional journeys, with hope as the ultimate finishing line.
From the author of Little Bits of Sky and Talking to the Moon
Cover illustration by Rob Biddulph
Throughout history, women have been told that they couldn’t achieve their dreams, no matter how hard they tried. Women athletes have faced their own unique set of challenges, across countless sports and levels of play. In this third She Persisted book, Chelsea Clinton introduces readers to women who have excelled in their sports because of their persistence.
She Persisted in Sports is a book for everyone who has ever aimed for a goal and been told it wasn’t theirs to hit, for everyone who has ever raced for a finish line that seemed all too far away, and for everyone who has ever felt small or unimportant while out on the field.
Alexandra Boiger’s vibrant artwork accompanies this inspiring text that shows readers of all ages that, no matter what obstacles come their way, they have the power to persist and succeed.
This book features: Margaret Ives Abbott, Gertrude Ederle, Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, Wilma Rudolph, Jean Driscoll, Mia Hamm (and the 1996 Olympic soccer team), Kristi Yamaguchi, Venus and Serena Williams, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, Diana Taurasi, Simone Biles, Ibtihaj Muhammad and Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux.
As the football World Cup approaches, we are delighted to host a guest post from best selling author Tom Palmer.
In this guest booklist, Tom discusses his top 10 recommendations for World Cup themed books to inspire reading among young football fans.
Reading for pleasure often begins with what the reader is passionate about. For many people that is football. And, with a World Cup this year, this is a great time to engage football fans with reading through the extraordinary wealth of fiction and non-fiction for kids. Available from bookshops and libraries, here’s a list of ten books with World Cup potential.
Football books are hugely popular with young readers from the earliest years all through primary school. From soccer superstars to famous fouls, there’s no end of football facts and figures to absorb in our collection of non-fiction and fiction books about the beautiful game.
This list features characters of different shapes and sizes, genders and nationalities enjoying football. If you are looking specifically for girls’ and women’s football, we also have a girls’ football booklist.
Two very recommendable series about football players for KS2 are the Football Superstars series, which are simple and easy-to-read chapter books about individual players and great for younger or less confident readers of chapter books, and the Ultimate Football Heroes series, which are information-packed chapter book biographies of key players, best suited to children aged 9-11.
We’ve put together a list of the best children’s books about football that are bound to kick-start your book collection and score big with young football fans.
Laura Wood, author of The Animals of Madame Malone’s Music Hall, has picked her top five recommended books for children and teens about being on stage.
Laura’s new book explores the topic of helping to save a music hall – and despite being written pre-pandemic, its publication comes at a time when local theatres need support more than ever. Read on for a guest booklist from Laura, all about her favourite fictional moments of being on stage on children’s books.
Natascha Biebow, author of The Crayon Man: The True Story Of The Invention Of Crayola Crayons, has picked her top five recommended children’s books about the love of art.
Natascha Biebow’s favourite crayon colour is periwinkle blue because it makes her heart sing. She loves to draw and make stuff, just like the inventor of the Crayola crayons. She lives in London, where she writes, edits, coaches and mentors children’s book authors and illustrators at Blue Elephant Storyshaping, and is the long-time Regional Advisor of SCBWI British Isles. In 2018, she was awarded an MBE for her services to children’s writers and illustrators. The Crayon Man: The True Story Of The Invention Of Crayola Crayons, is the winner of the Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature, voted for by children, and a NSTA Best STEM book 2020.
Now’s the time to inspire young readers with books all about the Olympic and Paralympic Games! From pentathlons and Paralympians to javelins and judo, there are plenty of facts and figures to be inspired by in our medal-worthy selection of top children’s books about the Olympic games…
Booklists for Primary Arts and Sports Topics
Enrich your curriculums with our selection of recommended children’s books for topics about arts and sports. From football and the Olympics to art and theatre, we’re building a collection of booklists picked by experts to support you in finding the best books for primary school topics about arts and sports.
A brilliant, funny and inspiring collection of poems about sport by Brian Moses and Roger Stevens!
These are poems about winning and about taking part; poems about having all the right kit, but no talent; poems that show that coming first in the egg and spoon race really is as important to your mum and dad as being an Olympic athlete; poems about being a team player and poems about being an individual hero. In fact, this book is packed with sporting gems of all kinds.
Olympic Poems is perfect for any young poet or aspiring Olympian.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2024
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments
