Women in Sports: Books for Kids
One area where women are currently making great strides is in sports. Now more than ever, women are receiving the recognition they deserve, empowering girls to see themselves playing and excelling in a field traditionally off-limits or discouraged. Below is a list of books that celebrates and normalizes girls and women in sports, from baseball and basketball to soccer and skateboarding.
Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Women in Sports: Books for Kids
Women in Sports: Books for Kids
Olympic Medalist Sky Brown helps break down barriers to get more kids (especially girls) into skateboarding by giving step by step instructions for how to get started. The book includes practical advice, such as getting used to the board and how to do basic moves, as well as encouragement to follow your own journey, and to believe that dreams come true. Always drawing from her own experiences, Brown makes the sports accessible to young readers who might feel intimidated to get started. The easy to follow, engaging format showcases diverse children enjoying the sport. A fun read to help more kids fall in love with the magic of skateboarding.
Buy The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding: A Beginner’s Guide with Olympic Medalist Sky Brown on Amazon or Bookshop
Young soccer fans will adore this dynamic tribute to thirteen of the best US soccer players, including Mia Hamm and Megan Rapinoe. The poems and the accompanying illustrations vibrate with an energy that leaps off the page, capturing the excitement of the game. The book also pays homage to the legendary 1999 team that won the World Cup. A thrilling read that will inspire a new generation to grab their cleats and get on the field.
Buy Soccer Queens on Amazon or Bookshop
Ver often, when girls enter sports, it is not just exciting or entertaining, it is revolutionary. Girls on Wheels is inspired by the skateboarding revolution happening in India now, as more and more girls take up the sport, growing in confidence that they can break stereotypes to follow their dreams. This picture book follows three friends who are defying expectations, digging deep, and getting up again and again to master the moves that the boys think they cannot handle. They comfort and encourage each other when they fall, learning to fly, together. An empowering story whose illustrations carry a subtle message of inclusivity, with the range of skin colors and body types.
Buy Girls on Wheels on Amazon or Bookshop
Emmy Award-winning producer, reporter, and host Amy G knows first hand how difficult it can be for women to succeed in sports traditionally seen as “men’s.” Having covered baseball for years, she did the first interview of Alyssa Nakken, the first female coach in MLB after Nakken shattered that glass ceiling. Amy G’s newest installment of Smarty Marty encourages girls to think not just about playing sports but about taking leadership positions. Marty is offered the chance to manage the local Little League team, but many – including the team – doubt she can handle it. But as her father (one of several male allies in the book) observes, If not you, then who? An empowering message for future trailblazers everywhere.
Buy Smarty Marty Takes the Field on Amazon or Bookshop
This graphic novel is inspired by the story of real life girls basketball team. In the 1970s, girls who wanted to play basketball didn’t have access to the same resources as the boys (a reality that has improved but not completely transformed). Everything they needed to be successful – practice time, uniforms, transportation – was an afterthought to what was given to the boys, or not provided at all. Yet for one group of girls, this situation began to change when they started to win. Despite being utterly ignored by their school, they and their coach worked hard and kept on winning, all the way to the state championships! Gathering fans as they went, the girls slowly started to receive the recognition and support they deserved, changing the way their town and people across their state viewed girls’ sports.
Buy Hoops on Amazon or Bookshop
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Women’s History Month Resources for Kids
