This month, ReaderKidZ is talking about sports books for the K-5 reader and we’re thrilled to point readers to a terrific Horn Book article by Dean Schneider.
Though not strictly about books for the elementary student, you’ll notice a mention of this month’s Author-In-Residence, Rich Wallace, as well as other important observations about – to use Schneider’s words – “the power of good writing on subjects kids care about.”
Enjoy the article here: What Makes a Good Sports Novel?
Many world-recognized athletes have had to overcome prejudice and other obstacles as children. Swimming pools only open to them one day a week. Tennis courts declared off limits. Sports leagues closed to them because of their color. Barriers of every kind. The following books tell the stories of several of them in ways young readers will relate to and be inspired by.
Crystal Hubbard’s GAME, SET, MATCH, CHAMPION ARTHUR ASHE, illustrated by Kevin Belford, is the story of Ashe’s longing, courage, and persistence to learn tennis and become a champion, and then work against segregation so all athletes could compete in both worlds, white and black.
Ashe’s tennis skill earned him the first scholarship given by UCLA to a black tennis player. As a champion international athlete, Arthur Ashe worked for freedom for all athletes to train and compete, regardless of color or nationality. He established tennis clinics in inner cities where there were few courts and no coaches. When, at the age of thirty-six, Arthur suffered a heart attack that required surgery and contracted AIDS as the result of a blood transfusion, he became one of the first world champions to say to the world, “I have AIDS.” (View a Tool Box post on Arthur Ashe HERE.)
ALL STAR! HONUS WAGNER AND THE MOST FAMOUS BASEBALL CARD EVER by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jim Burke.
Not all readers know the story of the most famous baseball card in history – the Honus Wagner card – 
which sold for $3 million dollars in 2007! Some say Wagner’s arms were so long, he could tie his shoes without bending over. For many years, he held the record for the most home runs, RBI, doubles, triples, and stolen bases than any player in the National League. A kid from a mining family who had to quit school in sixth grade to work in the mines, Wagner’s passion was to “play ball,” and did he ever! Quite a player and best of all, quite a story.
LOUIS SOCKALEXIS: Native American Baseball Pioneer by Bill Wise, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth.
“The stadium was packed…It was the top of the first inning…Louis Sockalexis was scheduled to bat third.” But the crowd didn’t want an “Indian” playing this white man’s sport. Louis had to listen to the crowd’s jeering cries, “Get a tomahawk, not a bat!”
Batting not only for his team, but for his Penobscot tribe, the intrepid Sockalexis hit the farthest home run ever seen at that time. He became the first Native American to play in the major leagues, leading the way for others to follow, including the legendary Jim Thorpe (see, JIM THORPE’S BRIGHT PATH by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by S. D. Nelson), and fifty years later, in 1945, Jackie Robinson, the first African American to join a major league team.
SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: the Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo and illustrated by Dom Lee.
Sammy Lee was a Korean-American boy who dreamed of winning at the Olympics and becoming a doctor. As a young man, he practiced dives in a backyard self-dug sandpit and trained for sixteen years for Olympic competition that would last sixteen seconds – the time from his first dive to when his scores were posted. Lee also served as a doctor in the Korean War and successfully competed in the 1952 Olympics, defending his 1948 Olympic diving title. (View a Tool Box post HERE.)
SURFER OF THE CENTURY: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe, illustrated by Richard Waldrep.
Duke Kahanamoku loved to swim and surf in the ocean surrounding his Hawaiian island home. He became an Olympic gold medal champion and a six-time medal winner, competing in the Stockholm Games in 1912. Called the “Duke” because of his speed and endurance as a swimmer, he was the fastest swimmer in the world for more than a decade. But surfing remained the Duke’s passion. Board surfing had been the sport of Hawaiian kings for at least a thousand years. The Duke rode the waves around the world to introduce surf-boarding as a serious sport.
Every young soccer player knows the name Pelé. The story of a boy from Brazil who practiced in his bare feet, kicking a homemade ball made of newspapers, is a perennial favorite. Pelé grew up to become the world’s recognized “King of Soccer.” His life is an amazing tale of determination and passion. (View a Tool Box post HERE.)
To add further depth of appreciation for Arthur Ashe’s astonishing life achievements peruse the richness presented in the award winning website ArthurAshe.org. One of the many interesting aspects of this site is a video featuring Arthur speaking about the impact of books and education on his own life, including the importance of finishing school and maintaining a lifelong dedication to learning. Access the link to that video HERE.
In addition, watch a YouTube video tribute by clicking HERE. And to listen to Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe speak about her late husband’s contribution to society and the development of ArthurAshe.org access the video link HERE.
True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. – Arthur Ashe
Access the link below to view a video featuring author Paula Yoo discussing the inspiration behind Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story. Learn about the story behind the diving legend Sammy Lee, how he overcame the limitations of racial prejudice, and how instrumental his father’s encouragement was in his ultimate Olympic success.
When asked what Yoo hopes that children will take away from reading her book, she smiles and answers, “Never give up.” Sammy Lee didn’t. His life is a testimony to these words.
Access the video link HERE.
Pelé, soccer legend, is not only known for being the first man to score 1000 goals in his lifetime and for leading Brazil to three World Cup Championships, but also for his devotion to good sportsmanship and commitment to team spirit. Pelé, King of Football is a inspirational celebration of these valuable attributes, Pele’s personal achievements, and more.
As a compliment to the reading experience download a multi-faceted Curriculum Guide by clicking HERE.
To become mesmerized by Pelé’s phenomenal soccer-playing skills, access YouTube videos by clicking HERE and HERE.
The flap copy on the back of each book in the KICKERS series announces: “Read them all!”
And yes, we agree. You surely must!
Each of the books – The Ball Hogs, Fake Out, Benched, and Game Day Jitters – is packed with fast-paced action and the ups and downs of learning how to be a successful team player. Readers will root for Ben and his soccer team, the Bobcats, and agonize over the sometimes-difficult situations Ben finds himself in as the season progresses. Each book in the series offers another challenge for Ben and his teammates to conquer. In the end, hard work – teamwork – makes all the difference. On the field and off, Ben and his fellow Bobcats, learn to have fun and enjoy the exhilaration of a game well-played.
From Rich Wallace:
I’ve always remembered how exciting it was to join a sports team for the first time. I also know how nervous kids can get about that. Writing the “Kickers” series allowed me to revisit a time in my life when I was ready to see how I measured up against other young athletes. It also gave me a chance to offer some of the things I learned while coaching my own kids on their sports teams. So, without being too “teachy,” I tried to share what a kid joining a soccer team for the first time might encounter, including an uncooperative teammate, the pressure of trying too hard to win sometimes, and the fact that some players will be more skilled than you are. More important, I wanted to convey that participation can be a lot of fun if you have the right attitude.
Read “What’s Your Story, Rich Wallace?” HERE.
Visit the Tool Box HERE for a math activity to pair with the Kicker’s Series.
For more books by Rich, visit his website HERE.
I grew up in northern New Jersey in a very busy household. I had three older brothers, two younger sisters, and a little brother. We were all very involved in activities like Scouts, music (not me), art lessons, and especially sports, so my mother cooked a lot of meals in shifts because some of us would be late getting home and others would go back out for something in the evening. We had a big house, but I always wanted my own space, so I’d spend a lot of time in the back yard or the cellar, playing games and sports (often by myself). That really contributed to my imagination.
From my bedroom I looked out the window at Teterboro Airport right down the hill and New York City not far in the distance. 
My father took a bus or train into New York every day for work. Sometimes my brothers and I would go into the city after school and meet him to have dinner and to watch a sports event at Madison Square Garden. We’d get home very late and always had a great time.
I loved sports from the time I was very young. I played all of them growing up. By the time I got to high school I began to concentrate on running, and became quite good at that. I also competed in track and cross country in college, and still do today even though I’m over 50.
I’m married to a wonderful woman named Sandra Neil Wallace, and she’s a writer, too. Before that she was a sportscaster on ESPN-TV, which was pretty exciting. We moved to New England a little more than a year ago to a small city with a busy downtown and a nice college that offers a lot of events to the public.
Play sports, anytime and anywhere. I joined organized programs like Little League baseball and Pop Warner football, but I had the most fun just playing in a field with the other kids in the neighborhood. We played football in the fall, street hockey in the winter, and basketball all year.
I read a lot of comic books when I was a kid. Often, the characters would just have a large question mark (?) or exclamation point (!) above their heads to express confusion or anger. Whenever I came across a mark like that, I had to pronounce it in my head. A question mark sounded something like this to me: “Umsthatta?”
When I was about 10, my best friend Gene and I were playing in my yard. We noticed smoke coming from the roof of the house next door. We ran over and pounded on the door, and when the woman answered we yelled, “Your house is on fire!” She came to our house and called the fire department, and they put out the fire quickly. A few weeks later Gene and I were invited to the town council meeting and the mayor had us stand up while he told the audience how brave we’d been. We laughed the whole 
time because we were nervous.
MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL by Virginia Lee Burton is still my favorite picture book. I also loved MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, CAPS FOR SALE, and any book by Dr. Seuss. Later I read a lot of mysteries, and sport novels by Matt Christopher.
My best friend Gene was the most clever and funniest kid I ever knew. We played together constantly for years. We understood each other and almost never argued. We played lots of games like chess and Monopoly, and of course more active games like basketball.
Did you play an instrument? Which one(s)?
Nearly all of my six brothers and sisters are quite musical, but I had no ability at all. My parents bought me a guitar in sixth grade and my older brother Jim tried to give me lessons, but I wasn’t very good at it and didn’t have the patience to try harder. I wish I’d tried harder, but I was too interested in doing other things.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a professional athlete. I did make a small amount of money in sports after college, but not nearly enough to make a living. I love being a writer, so I’m glad that worked out. I still play sports all the time anyway.
A coach or an athlete, but I’ve done both and still do. You’re never limited to being one thing.
Read all the time – anything that interests you. Pay attention to the things you like best to read and think about why you enjoy them.
I write in a small office in my house, just across the hall from the small office where my wife writes her books. When I’m away
from my desk, I’m always making notes and jotting down ideas in little notebooks so I won’t forget them when I get back to my computer.
Mostly from my own life. I remember things that happened to me as a kid and think about why they were so important. It’s funny which events stay with you and help to shape who you are. For me, it’s usually about some time when I tried really hard to accomplish something and succeeded, especially if I failed several times first but kept trying. Often the failures are more memorable than the triumphs.
I work at my writing almost every day. That involves a lot of things – thinking about what comes next in a story, going back and adding some action or conversation to a scene, and sometimes just making notes. I don’t keep track of my hours, but I’m at my desk for a good portion of the day.
I don’t usually listen to music unless it’s relative to what I’m writing about. I just finished writing a novel set in 1969 (when I was twelve) so I listened to a lot of music from that summer while I was writing it. A song called “Get Together” by the Youngbloods is one of the greatest songs of that era, and I listened to it a lot and quoted it in the book.
Getting past the middle part of it. I usually start with a good idea and a character I like, and I have a pretty good idea of what the ending might be. So making the middle parts exciting and funny and worth reading takes a lot of effort.
I constantly revise my work, and I enjoy it. It’s like editing, which I’ve also done for a long time 
professionally.
What your favorite book you wrote?
Hard to say. The ones I like the best have the most “me” in them; they’re drawn from events that happened to me. So WAR AND WATERMELON, which comes out in the summer of 2011, is my most recent favorite. It has a lot to do with my relationship with my older brother Bobby in the summer of 1969. SPORTS CAMP is another recent favorite, about being one of the smallest kids at a competitive camp and being away from home for the first time.
Rich's wife, Sandra, and their dog, Lucy
I have two sons, Jonathan and Jeremy. They’ve both graduated from college and are working in good jobs. I always base characters on people I know, so they’ve shown up in one form or another in my stories. We have a nutty dog named Lucy whois a great deal of fun to be around. She’s almost ten but still has puppy energy. She’s a Labrador/hound mix and we found her at a shelter when she was about one. Jeremy picked her out.
Quick Picks
Blue ball-point pen.
Both!
Peanut butter but never with jelly. And I don’t eat cheese.
Favorite or least favorite vegetable?
I love them all (really!). I eat lots of broccoli, tomatoes, and carrots. (And tons of fruit.)
Any whole-grain bread.
I like to make notes longhand, but do my actual writing on the computer.
I wrote my first several books late at night because it was the only time I could truly concentrate when my kids were little. I still enjoy writing late at night when I’m on a roll with a book, but I work all day at it.
Download a copy of Rich’s story to share with students HERE.
Read, “Your Friend, Rich Wallace (A Letter to Readers)” HERE.
Visit the Tool Box HERE to access an activity to pair with the KICKERS series.
For more about Rich, visit his website HERE.
