Susie’s Book Nook - New Children’s Book Review: “Kid Olympians - Summer”

The Summer Olympics are just around the corner in Paris, France, as I write this blog for July. What could be better than this book, “Kid Olympians - Summer”, stories by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Allison Steinfeld to introduce your children and teens to the childhoods and growing up of some amazing human beings who became champions of their sports and world issues. Your middle schoolers will be able to read this book on their own, while your younger children will enjoy the stories hearing them read and enjoy the illustrations that accompany the text.

This book touches on major themes faced by these Olympians growing up, discrimination, being different, and speaking out to make changes that make our communities and our world more positive. There are so many lessons to learn from these Olympians as they forged ahead in their growing up years not knowing what a difference they would make in their lifetimes.

This book introduces us to two Gold Medal Paralympians, Tatyana McFadden (a track and field champion) and Ellie Simmonds (a swimming champion). Their stories are humbling and uplifting to learn how undeterred these athletes were as they faced challenges of physical disabilities. Learning how through the kindness and generosity of adults in their lives they were able to achieve their dreams of success in the sports arena.

Sometimes it is hard for young people to “be different,” wanting to be themselves but fit in with those around them. Two stories in this book are great for opening a conversation about being true to yourself. One story involves Dick Fosbury, a track and field athlete, whose method for clearing the high jump bar was most unconventional. Since his method wasn’t the “way everyone did it,” he often faced ridicule. So, he tried the more conventional way but couldn’t find success with that method. Dick’s life growing up had many challenges but he stays true to himself and in his own style wins his gold medal. Today, most of the high jumpers have adopted Dick’s style named the Fosbury Flop.

Another story which is excellent for finding a way to be true to yourself and still pursue a dream towards the Olympics would be fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. She was the first Muslim American woman to win an Olympic medal, a bronze medal, and also the first woman to represent the United States at the Olympics while wearing a hijab. Ibtihaj’s story offers many ways to talk about diversity and equality with your children along with creativity to solve challenges. 

In this day and age of so many families being displaced by turmoil and wars the story of Yusra Mardini is a special one to be shared. Yusra watched the Olympics on the television and vowed to become an Olympic swimmer herself, but this dream became more difficult than she ever imagined. Her story of escaping violence in Syria and then her journeys to finally land in Berlin, Germany, includes an amazing story of swimming the Aegean to save a raft filled with refugees. For the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro a team was created, The Refugee Olympic Team, for athletes having been displaced. Yusra was one of them. This wasn’t how Yusra had imagined going to the Olympics, but she felt this was an important message: “no one chooses to be a refuge and that people who have had to flee their countries can still achieve great things.”

This book offers many good messages for all of us from the young lives whose stories it tells. It is one book of a series of six you might like to check out.