Sports Thematic Collection (updated July 2012)
Author
Title
Type*
Difficulty**
Sport
Bio, YA
Medium
Track and Field
Famous
Athlete
Bolden, Tonya
And Not Afraid to Dare
Lewin, Ted
Climo, Shirley
Cooper, Elisha
At Gleason’s Gym
Atalanta’s Race
Ballpark
Picture, FIC
Picture, Myth
Picture, NF
Medium
Medium
Easy
Boxing
Olympic
Baseball
Mochizuki, Ken
Baseball Saved Us
Picture,
Fiction
Easy
Baseball
Curtis, Gavin
Bat Boy and His Violin, The
Picture, FIC
Easy
Baseball
Pinkney, Andrea
Bill Pickett: Rodeo Ridin’
Cowboy
Black Hoops
Picture, FIC
Easy
Bull riding
Bill Pickett
YA, NF
Medium
Basketball
Various
Century That Was, The
NF
Medium
Various
Various
Father Water, Mother Woods
YA, Essays
Medium
Dingle, Derek
Altman, Susan &
Lechner, Susan
First in the Field
Followers of the North Star
Bio, Picture
Picture,
Poetry
Medium
Easy
Hunting and
Fishing
Baseball
Baseball
Boxing
Deford, Frank
Heart of a Champion, The
YA, Bio
Medium
Various
Burleigh, Robert
Home Run
Bio, Picture,
Poetry
Easy
Baseball
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
and Muhammad
Ali
Sports figures
who have been
featured on
Wheaties boxes
Babe Ruth
Smith Jr., Charles
R.
Smith Jr., Charles
R.
Burleigh, Robert
Hoop Kings
Medium
Basketball
Various
Medium
Basketball
Various
Easy
Basketball
Lee, George
Interesting Athletes: Black
American Sports Heroes
YA, Picture
Poetry
YA, Picture
Poetry
Picture,
Poetry
YA, Bio
Medium
Various
Carroll, Lewis and
Jabberwoky
Picture, FIC
Easy
Basketball
McKissack JR.,
Fredrick
Giblin, James
Cross
Paulsen, Gary
Hoop Queens
Hoops
Jackie JoyceKersey
Atalanta
Other
Contains a story about Jackie
Joyce-Kersey
An ancient Greek myth
Before, during, and after the
game.
The role of baseball in the
Japanese American internment
camps during WWII
History of African Americans in
Basketball
Includes a short essay about
sports.
Essays on hunting and fishing
in the North woods.
Book contains a short poem
about each athlete
The “feel” of the game
Various
Focuses on boxing, Baseball,
football, baseball but includes
others
Sports Thematic Collection (updated July 2012)
Type*
Difficulty**
Sport
Famous
Athlete
Legend of the Bambino
NF
Medium
Baseball
Babe Ruth
Raven, Margot
Let Them Play
NF
Medium
Little league
baseball
Krull, Kathleen
Lives of the Athletes
Medium
Various
Various
Short biographies
Bachrach, Susan
Nazi Olympics, The
Difficult
Olympics
Various
Berlin 1936
Alphin, Elaine
Adler, David
Perfect Shot, The
Picture Book Of Jesse
Owens, A
Satchel Paige: Striking Out
Jim Crow
NF, Bio,
Picture
YA, NF,
Picture, Bio
FIC
Picture, Bio,
NF
NF
Difficult
Easy
Basketball
Track and Field
Jesse Owens
Medium
Baseball
Satchel Paige
Shooting for the Moon
Story of Baseball, The
Bio, picture
YA, NF
Medium
Medium
Sharp shooting
Baseball
Annie Oakley
Various
Macy, Sue
Swifter, Higher, Stronger
Difficult
Olympics
Various
Nelson, Kadir
We are the Ship: The Story of
Negro League Baseball
Picture, NF,
YA
NF
Medium
Baseball
Various
Author
Myers,
Christopher
Shaunghnessy,
Dan
Sturm, James
and Tommaso,
Rich
Krensky, Stephen
Ritter, Lawrence
*
Title
P = Picture book
YA = Young adult book
BIO = Biography
FIC = Fiction
NF = Nonfiction
**
Easy = Level 1& 2
Medium = Level 3 & 4
Difficult = GED-level
Other
Civil Rights success of
integrating little league baseball
Mystery
Negro League Baseball and
integration in sports
Contains good information on
the game
Summer Olympics
Describes race relations in
early 20th century baseball