Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports Legends

by David Stabler Narrated by Pete Cross

Overview

Forget the gold medals, the championships, and the undefeated seasons. When all-star athletes were growing up, they had regular-kid problems just like you. Baseball legend Babe Ruth was such a troublemaker that his family sent him to reform school. Race-car champion Danica Patrick fended off bullies who told her “girls can't drive.” And football superstar Peyton Manning was forced to dance the tango in his school play. Kid Athletes tells all of their stories and more. Other athletes include Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson, Yao Ming, Gabby Douglas, Tiger Woods, Julie Krone, Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Bobby Orr, and Lionel Messi!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A Wirecutter from the New York Times Best Gift for 7-Year-Olds

“Outstanding. . . . Inspiring and entertaining, Kid Athletes isn't just for sports fans.”—Booklist, starred review
 
“Are you a big sports fan? If you are, then you’ll love this book. . . . Kid Athletes is a very informative book, but it also teaches you that anyone (no matter who you are) can go through hardships.”—Eric and Jasmine, Kidsday reporters, Newsday

“Perfect for the adolescent set, these inspiring stories mix fun and non-fiction.”—Geeks of Doom
 
Praise for the Kid Legends series:
“Just like history class, only hilarious.”—Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever, on Kid Presidents
 
“A heartening reminder that 17 unconventional greats—not to mention all the rest—started out as children too.”—Kirkus Reviews, on Kid Artists

“With cartoonish illustrations that will attract fans of Jeff Kinney’s The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Rachel Renée Russell’s The Dork Diaries, this informative offering leaves no presidential childhood rock unturned.”—School Library Journal, on Kid Presidents

“Impressively diverse.”—Booklist, on Kid Artists
 
“Filled with cute illustrations. . . [and] mini-biographies that are interesting, funny, and, most importantly, relevant to kids today.”—Geek Dad, on Kid Scientists

“I can think of no better way to convey to children that their heroes were once just like them.”—Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star, on Kid Scientists

“Memorably weird childhood moments. . . are likely to stick with readers, as will Horner’s impish cartoons.”—Publishers Weekly, on Kid Artists
 
“A funny and inspiring book for children and adults.”—New York Journal of Books, on Kid Scientists

Kirkus Reviews

2015-08-12
Short vignettes skim through the childhoods of a gathering of sports heroes. The "True Tales" of the subtitle doesn't necessarily mean riveting tales, as Stabler proves with these mostly ho-hum glimpses at sporting legends such as Jackie Robinson, Bobby Orr, and Danica Patrick (there are 16 personalities all told). The book is divided into three sections: future stars who had to battle money or gender issues; kids who got family encouragement; kids who learned it takes practice, practice, practice. There is no hope if you can't coax a good story out of Babe Ruth, and Stabler can't: "So when Little George was seven, his parents asked a local official to declare him ‘incorrigible' and to send him to a reformatory"—and the bulk of the entry focuses on young George's development of a moral compass under the tutelage of Brother Matthias. So what if Peyton Manning was traumatized by dancing a tango in a school play? Many readers will already have experienced greater embarrassments, and the implication that dancing is an activity not befitting a football player is positively retrograde. "When his father first strapped a pair of ice skates onto his son's feet, four-year-old Bobby [Orr] promptly fell onto the ice." Not breaking news. Horner's line drawings are a minor relief. Uneven to forgettable. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173889393
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Series:	Kid Legends Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Gabby Douglas: Grace under Pressure Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas took home a gold medal in 2012 as a member of the “Fierce Five” U.S. gymnastics team at the Olympic Games. But she wasn’t born fierce. Though she may have always known how to stand tall on the balance beam, Gabby had to learn how best to stand up for herself when those around her tried to knock her down
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Kid Athletes"
by .
Copyright © 2015 David Stabler.
Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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