Happy Sunday, kidlit friends! I hope you’re managing to stay cool. We’ve already gotten into the triple digits here in Nashville. This morning we’re planning to splash in a creek with some friends to cool down.
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Today, I review Summer Olympics-themed children’s books plus two great new releases.
Bookish Goods
Girl Reading in Tree Print by LAKoerner
A summery scene, though I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever read in a tree. How does one carry the book and necessary water bottle and snacks up the tree? $33+
New Releases
Bao’s Doll by Bo Lu
This moving picture book is based on the author’s childhood. Bao and her Taiwanese immigrant mother can’t seem to agree on anything. Whenever Bao asks for something, her mother tells her about her impoverished childhood and Bao doesn’t feel heard. Every other girl at school has a white all-American Amanda doll, and Bao wants one, too. When her mother doesn’t buy one, Bao steals it and is immediately caught. This action, however, leads to a deeper bond between mother and daughter.
Rachel Friedman Breaks the Rules by Sarah Kapit, illustrated by Genevieve Kote
This charming first book in a new chapter book series centers a young Jewish girl with ADHD who loves gymnastics. Rachel’s life has a lot of rules, which she mostly doesn’t follow. Her single dad makes a deal with her: if she can follow the rules for one week, she can go see her gymnast idol. But when Rachel’s cat escapes the house, she breaks an important rule to save her. Can she convince her dad to let her go see her idol anyway?
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
The Summer Olympics are about a month away, but I’m already getting excited about them. Here are four children’s books to have on hand as they approach!
Swimming Toward a Dream by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Asma Enayeh
This picture book tells the amazing true story of refugee Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini. As a child in Damascus, Mardini loves to swim and dreams of participating in the Olympics. But when war strikes Syria, she and her family are forced to flee. The boat’s motor gives out, and she helps pull it to safety with her swimming skills. She begins swimming again while living in a refugee camp in Germany, and she’s asked to join the 2016 Olympics as a member of the first ever refugee team.
Wings of an Eagle by Billy Mills & Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by S. D. Nelson
This is another inspiring picture book biography, this time about Lakota gold medalist Billy Mills. Mills begins running after his mother dies. When Jim Thorpe wins an Olympic gold medal, Mills wonders if he could be in the Olympics, too. When his father dies, he puts aside his dreams to work and help take care of his siblings. In high school, he begins running again, but a health problem—which turns out to be diabetes—plagues him. Nonetheless, he receives a college scholarship, but racism threatens to derail his dreams once more. He joins the Marines, and after failing to qualify for the Olympics in 1960, he makes it to the 1964 Olympics, where he wins a gold medal. Extensive back matter includes photographs, information about the nonprofit Mills founded, a timeline, and much more. This picture book releases on July 2.
Kid Olympians: Summer by Robin Stevenson, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld
This is a fantastic collective biography of summer Olympians for middle grade readers. It’s divided into four parts: “Racing Ahead,” “Making History,” “Swimming into Summer,” and “Speaking Out.” It includes 16 short biographies of Olympians like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Wilma Rudolph, and more. The illustrations are vibrant and expressive.
Record Breakers at the Olympic Games by Rob Walker
This nonfiction for middle grade readers provides lots of photographs from previous Summer Olympics as well as fun facts. It focuses on modern Olympic games, and it features sections divided by discipline, from basketball to gymnastics to the Paralympics. It includes details about top performances, new additions to the Olympics, record-breakers, and more. It’s a fun one for kids to flip through.
We recently visited the Nashville Zoo, where the tiger exhibit now includes three tiger cubs. The eight-month-olds were teething on some bones. The zookeeper told us they had to give them separate bones to keep them from fighting with one another. Siblings are the same regardless of species!
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury