Children's Literature
We are an overweight nation, and you cannot start too early to introduce the importance of exercise to maintain good health. Playing games that involve the use of energy and body movement can be fun. The pictures all show kids exercising indoors and outdoors. Cautionary advice is given about the need to warm up before exercising, the need to drink water before and during exercising (although some recent articles have noted that this may not always be true), and the benefits of stretching after exercising to avoid stiffness the next day. The author recommends an hour of exercise every day--with the elimination of many physical education programs in school that may not be as easy for kids as it once was. Getting away from the TV, computer, and other sedentary activities is the goal, and some exercise every day can go a long way to improving ones' health and disposition. A list of web sites, other books, and a glossary round out this title in the "Pull Ahead Books" series. 2006, Lerner, Ages 5 to 7. —Marilyn Courtot