Happy Holidays with a heartwarming book: HAPPY LIKE SOCCER

The holidays are typically a happy occasion to spend quality time with family and friends. If you’re like my family – there’s always some competitive activity going on whether it was ice skating on the Pine River while growing up in Michigan, running a Christmas Town Dash, or taking a brisk walk after New Year’s dinner to “make room for dessert.” Participating in sports always makes me happy. HAPPY LIKE SOCCER is a picture book with marvelous watercolor illustrations and is a story about more than just a love of playing soccer. Sierra, the main character, doesn’t have family members able to come cheer her on at soccer games since her team plays in the suburbs far from where she lives in the city. Reading this made me recall my senior year in high school when (due to my father’s illness) my parents were absent most of the swim season. It was tough to glance at the bleachers from the starting block and see other parents cheering for their daughters but no one able to be there for me. I recall feeling very alone, and I had forgotten about that sad time until I read this book. In this story, Sierra lives with her Auntie who works at Café Garcia on Saturdays and can’t take time off to watch her games. One weekend, however, her boss allows her to switch shifts from Saturday to Sunday so she can attend her niece’s game, but darn luck would bring a storm that causes it to be canceled. What transpires after that, however, is an uplifting solution that brings to light the impact sports have on inner city neighborhoods and communities. Children of all backgrounds deserve to have an opportunity to play where they live and have access to safe playing fields. They also deserve to be cheered on by family members and neighbors and to hear their name called out as they dribble down the field, get a block on a shot, or score a goal. I highly recommend HAPPY LIKE SOCCER for a holiday read or gift for sporty girls who like soccer or any other sport.

Three Sporty Girl Books on the Connecticut Nutmeg Lists

I'm so excited to see that all three 2017 Connecticut Nutmeg Award Lists have sporty girl books. We have spoken about Roller Girl (Immediate List)  on this blog before, so today I'm going to introduce you to Queen of the Diamond (Elementary List) and A Time to Dance (Teen List). Both books are about girls that never let anyone stop them from following their dreams.

Queen of the Diamond is the true story of Lizzie Murphy.

Here's the blurb from IndieBound:
Lizzie Murphy was good at baseball. In fact, she was better than most of the boys. But she was born in 1900, and back then baseball was not a game for girls. Lizzie practiced with her brother anyway, and then she talked her way onto the local boys' team, first as a batboy, then as a player. Everyone was impressed by her hard catches and fast pitches. By the time she turned fifteen, she was playing for two different amateur boys' teams. When she turned eighteen, Lizzie did something else that women weren't supposed to do: she signed up with a professional baseball team, determined to earn her living playing the game.


Want to learn more about Lizzie Murphy? Here are some great articles about her baseball experience. 

Science of Baseball: Lizzie Murphy
Today I Found Out

I read A Time to Dance this summer and fell in love with this book.

Here's the blurb from IndieBound:
Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who's grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

Good luck to all three sporty girl books. If you are a kid in Connecticut, make sure to read your Nutmeg list so you can vote for your favorite in April!

RELENTLESS SPIRIT, Golden Goggles, Missy Franklin, and a New Swimsuit

Seems like we just welcomed the autumn equinox and already the holiday shopping season is officially upon us. Do you have any particular shopping habits? I have a tendency to get sidetracked while doing research and come across one link that leads to another and then I land on a website and buy something for myself OR I have been known to shop with this method: buy something for a friend or family member and then buy one for me. Which leads to my purchase of a Missy Franklin Signature Speedo swimsuit for myself. How did I get to this online purchase? Well, I’ll go backward to Tuesday morning and share my chain of thoughts/actions:

* Need to write an entry for Sporty Girl Books blog.

* Hmmm, are there any female sporting news or events happening around this time of the year? It's a little early for recommending holiday book picks, isn't it?

* Scanning my Twitter feed I see that Monday night, the Golden Goggle Awards were presented by the USA Swimming Foundation to honor outstanding U.S. swimmers and their achievements from this past year. Simone Manuel won Female Race of the Year – watching that "live" this past summer was incredible and I knew the historical victory would inspire so many girls who see themselves in Simone.

* Who were the other women winners? They were all deserving honorees: Elizabeth Beisel (Team Leadership), Lilly King (Breakout Swimmer of the Year) and Katie Ladecky (Female Swimmer of the Year).

* I recently reviewed a book by Missy Franklin and recall she won a few Golden Goggle honors. A quick reference check reveals she was awarded Female Athlete of the Year (2011, 2012) and Breakout Performer of the Year (2010).

 * I pause, get a coffee refill, and peruse my email and whaddya know, there’s a notice from Booklist Online so I check to see if my latest review has been published. Yep! The November 15, 2016 issue of Booklist has my review of RELENTLESS SPIRIT: THEUNCONVENTIONAL RAISING OF A CHAMPION by Missy Franklin and her parents, DA and Dick Franklin. This up-beat memoir by Missy along with her parents is inspirational and a thoughtful reflection on how - together as a family - they achieved a healthy balance in life and sports. It may be subtitled unconventional but it's a model that worked successfully for their family.
To read the Booklist review: www.booklistonline.com/

* I’m curious if Missy went to the Golden Goggles and what she’s up to so I check her Twitter feed.

* Interesting! SpeedoUSA has launched the “Missy Franklin Signature Series” of swimwear. So naturally, I’ve got to check ‘em out!

And, that’s how it happens . . . from deciding on a topic to writing a blog entry to buying a new swimsuit or the other way around. RELENTLESS SPIRIT is scheduled for release in early December – keep an eye out for it! And I guess it's not too early to share this as an ideal gift to give to a sporty girl or yourself - a book by a delightful, grounded role model raised by two extraordinary parents!

New Sporty Girl Books Blogger Wanted

Sporty Girl Books is looking for a new contributor! Our goal at SPORTY GIRL BOOKS is to give all girls the chance to love, watch, play, read, and write about any sport that interests them. We look forward to the day when the words, "You play like a girl," is the biggest compliment anyone can receive.

If you are a writer with an interest in athletics and children's books, we'd love for you to apply. Send an email to Sporty Girl Books founder Stacy Mozer that discusses why you'd like to blog for Sporty Girl Books and let us know why you are qualified. Paste in a sample Sporty Girl Books blog post into your email: a book review, an industry/author interview, or an athlete interview. Stay positive. We'll be choosing a new blogger by the end of the year and would love your submission!

Ice-Skating Lessons: Dream Big, Get Back Up When You Fall, Celebrate Life

By Brenda Barrera

Flipping through TV channels this past weekend I caught some of the Progressive Skate America, a good preview of the 2017 U.S. Nationals coming up on January 14-22 in Kansas City. Then yesterday, I came across this video interview with Olympic gold medalist and beloved figure skating commentator, Scott Hamilton, who is now battling his third brain tumor.  As a longtime fan, my heart sank.  His courage and matter-of-fact demeanor are not surprising to anyone who has followed his career.

In the interview, he references fellow Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, and they show a clip from the 1991 U. S. Figure Skating Championships where she took a hard fall at the beginning of her program and immediately got up, continued her routine, and finished with a joyful smile. Hamilton noted the life lesson which he shares with beginner ice-skaters: you will fall and make mistakes, but the more times you get up, the stronger you will be for each future obstacle.

Since retiring from the sport, Yamaguchi has added children’s book writer to her impressive resume, beginning with her delightful picture book, DREAM BIG LITTLE PIG about Poppy the Pig who discovers not every activity (ballet, singing) is going to be her calling yet she follows her bliss and pursues ice-skating, which leads to mastering jumps and spins. She attracts a huge fan club and even makes the cover of the “New Pork Times.”

Life obstacles may sideline us, and we may stumble while attempting to twirl through unforeseen circumstances, but as Hamilton shares, it’s how many times you get up that makes you stronger. He chooses to celebrate life. Yamaguchi’s Poppy reminds us to dream big, never to give up, listen to your personal fans (family and friends who believe in you) and keep pursuing your passions.

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

Book Review: Level the Playing Field

I am always looking for interesting nonfiction for my third grade classroom so I was very excited to see this new book for kids about the past, present, and future of women's pro sports.

Here's the blurb from IndieBound:

The experience of being a professional athlete is very different for men and women. While men's pro sports command throngs of fans, media attention, and money, many of the world's top professional female athletes aren t valued or recognized equally for their talent even though female athletes prove time and time again that they have all the skill, drama, and rivalries of their male counterparts. 
Level the Playing Field examines the root of these issues by taking readers through the history of women's pro sports, exploring how far we have come in a relatively short time and exposing what ground is left to gain. The book provides first-person insight through exciting interviews with professional female athletes, including Canadian hockey player Cassie Campbell, American MMA fighter Miesha Tate, and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne. Along the way, author and sports journalist Kristina Rutherford covers important topics like opportunity, female role models, and stereotypes. Drawing on examples from a wide range of sports, and complete with sidebars, photographs, sources, and an index, this is an informative and authoritative book that makes an important contribution to the movement for women's acceptance in professional sport. 

I enjoyed many things about this book. It had a clear and concise way of explaining the history and current experience of women in sports. The layout was easy to follow and there was a good mix of sports (even though I would have loved to see more baseball). Throughout the book were interviews with sports stars, which give a first hand look at the experience. Last, I liked that even when discussing the difficulties and inequities, the book still has a very positive outlook and makes sure to detail all the strides that have been made. Overall, I think this book is a perfect addition to any classroom or school library.