Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty

I've been lucky to be able to know prolific author Stacy McAnulty. She's the author of many books for children, but this is the book that has my heart. This is the book, and the reminder, that picture books are for ALL ages. This book was for me. This book was for my 11-year-old daughter on her birthday. We both cried when I read it to her. I make the world beautiful. My daughter makes the world beautiful. Each of you, readers, make the world beautiful. I'm so grateful for Stacy and her powerful book. Below I've included excerpts from her newsletter. I hope you'll get your hands on BEAUTIFUL and read it to all the females, old and young, in your life. "BEAUTIFUL breaks barriers by showing girls free to be themselves: splashing in mud, conducting science experiments, and shooting baskets. This book will encourage all girls to embrace who they are and realize their endless potential."

Beautiful: Simple Yet Complicated Beautiful (written by me and illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff) is a book of few words. But the topic of beauty and how it impacts girls is incredibly complicated. My editor Lisa wrote me a four-page letter while we were revising this book, and I sent her back the polished manuscript and an essay. I believe it's the first time she'd ever received an essay with a picture book manuscript. I'd love to share with you some of the things Lisa and I learned while creating this book. (Don't worry. It's not the full essay.) We compliment little girls on their looks and not other strengths. I've noticed that I do this often. Meeting a young girl, I might say, "You're so cute," or "I love your hair." ... I need to stop making appearances the first part of the conversation. Compliments are great, but I now try to look deeper. The mirror is different for everyone. Women often use the mirror to study flaws: wrinkles, gray hairs, bags under the eyes... Young children can consider a mirror a toy and enjoy making goofy faces or trying to outwit their reflection. Is there a way to keep young girls from seeing the mirror as a tool for self-criticism? My definition of beauty. My editor asked me to create a definition for this book. What did I want to convey? After reading countless articles, blog posts, and research, this is my definition of what it means to be BEAUTIFUL. True beauty is a confidence found in what you do and how you feel. When a girl is doing something kind or challenging or fun, her inner beauty overwhelms her exterior, no matter what she wears or how her hair looks. When a girl feels empowered or strong or smart, the same thing happens.

Learn more about BEAUTIFUL and Stacy McAnulty here

Sporty Girl Books of 2014: Perfect Gifts for the Holidays

With today being the first day of Hanukkah and Christmas less than ten days away, I've created a list of sporty girl books published in 2014 to help with last minute gift giving.  You're welcome:)

Middle Grade

Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter by Carmella Van Vleet (Tae Kwan Do)*

The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery by R. M. Clark (Baseball)

Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel (Tae Kwan Do)*^

Dance Divas: Two to Tango by Sheryl Berk (Dance)

Young Adult

Being Sloan Jacobs by Lauren Morrill (Figure Skating and Hockey)*+

Take Me On by Katie McGarry (Kickboxing)
Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Mirranda Kenneally (Running)*

Relax, I'm a Ninja by Natalie Whipple (Martial Arts)*
In Deep by Terra Elan McVoy (Swimming)

Adrenaline Crush by Laurie Crompton (Daredevil/Thrill Seeker)
Girl on a Wire, by Gwenda Bond (Circus)

Gold Metal Winter by Donna Freitas (Figure Skating)

I've heard good things about all the books on the list, but the books with an * are the ones I've personally read and can recommend
+ Books I've reviewed (click on + to read review)
^ My nine year old's favorite read of the year

Looking for more ideas? Here's a Goodreads list of Athlete Girl Novels (includes ones not published in 2014)
And, of course, you can follow the link at the top of our blog to our list of Middle Grade and Young Adult Sporty Books.

I'm sure I've missed some out this year. Please share ones you've enjoyed. I'm also interested in books for younger readers (picture books, early readers, and chapter books) so feel free to share those and help me with my last minute gift giving.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Kwanza!

Battle of the Sexes: Equality and relationships

My kids have discovered The 70's Show and are binge watching the program on Netflix. In the "The Battle of the Sexists" episode, next door neighbors and love interests Donna and Eric play a series of basketball and air hockey games. Eric loses to Donna and feels emasculated. His male friends don't make the situation any better with their teasing. Through the course of the show, Donna tries losing on purpose to make Eric feel more manly but can't really stomach her own fakery. In the end, they finally agree not to keep score when they play against each other.

So it is still the same for girls?

Many women will agree that their daughters have a much more level playing field in sports, and education (see last week's post on the book LET ME PLAY) but what about in hetero love and relationships. Is there still a series of male/female game playing that encourages girls to be less than they are? Do they lose on purpose in athletics, dumb down in class, deny their own sexual desire all because they don't want to drive the boy away?

From my adult experiences, I would guess, yes. What do you think? And if you agree, is this only a hetero experience or does it carry over into homosexual relationships as well? Are there YA books you've read that show this dynamic?

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Author Interview: Maria Padian and Giveaway of Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best!

In this, the debut month of Sporty Girl Books Blog, the regular contributors are introducing ourselves by way of some of our favorite books and authors in the sporty book world. Maria Padian is the author of three young adult books: BRETT MCCARTHY: WORK IN PROGRESS, JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST, and the recently released OUT OF NOWHERE.

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I’m so lucky that Maria lives in my Maine town. We first met on the fields of the local college. We were not playing any sports but walking out dogs. Lucy is my yellow lab and Frisbee is Maria’s Australian Shepherd. For the interview, we met at the Little Dog Café and discussed all things kidlit and sports. Grab a cup of something warm and join us!

Soccer plays a role in Brett McCarthy… and Out of Nowhere. Tennis and ballet are in Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best. Are those sports in your background? What sports are you involved in now?

I’ve played soccer, softball, basketball.  I ski, hike.  Bike.  But the sport I’ve played most consistently, and which I love, is tennis. I started in third grade and play competitively to this day, on a USTA women’s team.  It’s great to still have sports in my life.  Another sport I’ve loved … but lost … is rowing.  I rowed crew back in college, first in Oxford (England) where I learned to row British style – faster hands and a three-part recovery.  I had to relearn when I came back to America, and rowed with a club in Atlanta, Georgia.  It’s a fantasy of mine to return to rowing again … you’re inspiring me, Anna!

How do you use sports as vehicle for character, conflict, and tension in your books.

I don’t usually go about a book thinking that I’m going to make a character an athlete. It’s more that my characters are naturally athletes. I’m drawn to young women who are not afraid to be bold, competitive and aggressive.

In Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best, Henry, a tennis player, is battling personal demons. She struggles to understand the point of competition, to question the expectation that she play tennis, and to win on her own terms. She asks, am I winning the way I want to win, being the athlete I want to be, and am I becoming the kind of person I would admire.

Eva is a committed ballerina, and I never saw her as an athlete but as an artist. Both of them struggle to take ownership of what they have become passionate about [tennis and ballet]. The struggle is between expectations and passion. Do you do something because people expect you to even if you don’t love it? Or, do you do something you love even though you might not be great at it?

Eva, in Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best, is dealing with anorexia. Talk to me about healthy eating and healthy habits for athletes.

You know, I think there is a misunderstanding about eating disorders. I think about this more as a mental health issue than a fitness issue. Anorexia is about dealing with stress and anxiety. Some girls rise above stresses and strains and some succumb to it.

You write the eating disorder as a male voice named Ed inside Eva’s head. How did you come up with that?

I went to see a play where the eating disorder was portrayed as male. The character was smarmy and cruel, dressed in a leather jacket and dark glasses.  He was emotionally abusive.  I tried to write Ed similar to an abusive boyfriend.  Eva is very vulnerable to those negative voices. I think a lot of it has to do with a person’s inner compass. What do we choose to believe about ourselves? So much of sports is about having a mental edge and great athletes are great optimists. I was playing tennis against someone who was better than I was and going at each ball with the thought, “Am I going to get it?” Then the person I was playing with told me to instead think, “When I get there, where am I going to put it?” That mental shift made a huge difference in my game.

Now for the lightning round:

What is your favorite sport to play?

First tennis, but rowing is a close second.

What is your favorite sport to watch?

If tennis is on TV, I’m there. I also live with a bunch of crazy basketball fans so I watch a lot of basketball.

Which athlete would you most want to meet?

Andre Agassi. His book OPEN came out at the same time as Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best and I’m really interested in his story.

I know you have a dog named Frisbee. Is Frisbee a good exercise partner?

Frisbee gets me out of the house on the days that the weather is so wet or cold that I’d normally stay inside. Once we’ve gone for a walk, I always feel so virtuous.

You too can be virtuous by signing up for our rafflecopter give away, which I’ve included in this post. The winner will receive a lovely collection of books including JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST signed by the sport Maria Padian. I also picked up an awesome pair of cycling tire levers (pink) at the recent women’s ride that I participated in so I’ll throw those in as well.

It is also virtuous to comment below! What do you think: Are eating disorders more about fitness or mental health? How much of your sport is about having a mental edge? I’d love to hear from you. Anna
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