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Countdown! It’s only 51 days until the opening ceremony for
the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio! If asked, I’m sure many female Olympic
competitors will share an anecdote about watching the Olympics on TV as a child
and daydream about a day when they might stand atop a podium watching their country
flag rise above the crowds to the sound of their national anthem. I wonder what
sports books they might have read as a child that provided similar inspiration?
I came across a non-fiction picture book, SPORT-O-RAMA, by award-winning Canadian illustrator
Benoit Tardif that I think would be a contender for a future superstar's “books
that inspired me as a child” list.
What makes SPORT-O-RAMA so engaging are the simple, yet
delightful illustrations in bold, primary colors and the subtle sense of humor displayed
throughout. Each of the 23 sports from Badminton to Volleyball includes brief
descriptions of the venue (court, pool, rink) and equipment (birdie, saddle,
sailboat), plus fundamentals (tailwind vs. headwind and bump vs. block).
The illustrations are informative like those for golf that show
the difference between golf clubs: a wood, iron, and putter and rowing that
show the stroke phase of drive and recovery. A few entries, however, are
confusing like the fencing entry shows a lamé (jacket) and eight lines of parry,
but unless you’re familiar with the sport, it’s not clear what they mean even
though the back matter does include a helpful description of each sport along
with a glossary.
Readers are sure to giggle at the golfer who hits an
“unplayable ball” into the mouth of a “real alligator” or the girl, a black
belt judoka, does an arm lock on an opponent who exclaims, “Oh, no! Not again!”
And who doesn’t like halftime entertainment? A clever middle spread
illustration provides a search and count challenge. SPORT-O-RAMA, full of word play and
introductory vocabulary, is a fun read for little sporty girls to older sporty
girls who are looking forward to the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.
For more information about Benoit Tardif via Kids Can Press
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