Book Review By Terri Schlichenmeyer
You can kick a ball harder than any kid you know.
You just haul your leg back, point your toe, and let go! You’re also good at smashing a ball, swimming, running, jumping, it’s all fun. Like you, lots of kids love sports, including the Olympics. And guess what? As in the book “Kid Olympians: Summer” by Robin Stevenson, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld, those Olympians were once kids, too.
Take, for instance, the famous athlete Jesse Owens, who was born at a time when Black people had very few rights. When he was 15 years old, a track coach spotted Owens’ talent because young Jesse ran almost as fast as an adult could run!
Track and field star Wilma Rudolph had polio when she was young, and had to re-learn how to walk. Little Usain Bolt was such an active kid that his parents were concerned but when he was just chilling, Bolt only wanted to play arcade games.
Paralympic wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden was born with spina bifida, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Because of that, her first years were spent in an orphanage, where she didn’t even have clothes of her own. She was five years old when she was adopted and brought to America.
Gymnast Nadia Comaneci once tried to climb a Christmas tree, and her mother knew little Nadia needed an “outlet for her energy” so she took Nadia to the gymnasium. Swimmer Michael Phelps likewise “simply could never sit still.” Megan Rapinoe was an athletic kid who learned soccer by copying her soccer-playing older brother.
And little Simone Biles? Early in life, she spent time in a foster care home where there was a trampoline to play on. When her grandparents adopted her, she was excited to find a trampoline there, too. She “twirled and flipped and somersaulted” for hours before becoming the G.O.A.T of all G.O.A.Ts.
Your child is riveted to the television this summer, cheering on their favorite athletes half a world away. Wouldn’t your young fan love to know more about their favorite athletes? Sure they would, and “Kid Olympians: Summer” is the perfect companion for this years’ games.
This is the book for kids who run, jump, tumble, slide, whack, leap, and twirl, because author Robin Stevenson lets children know that their heroes were once active kids, too, and that their needs to go-go-go sometimes got-got-got them into trouble. Some of the stories are funny, but most are inspiring for a variety of reasons, and will teach kids about overcoming bad situations; that there’s some history to be had isn’t a bad thing, either. Add in the fun illustrations by Alison Steinfeld, and you’ve got a book that will thrill your future Olympian long after the games are over.
Get this book for your 9-to-12-year-old, but don’t feel ashamed if you find yourself paging through it quick when you have the chance. “Kid Olympians: Summer” will be fun for you, and your future Olympian will get a kick out of it, too.
