32 Beautiful Picture Books that Capture Sports Magic and History
While many learned to read with the help of sports cards, books help us dig deeper. It doesn't have to be the lengthy biographies that are so big they hurt your back every time you pick them up. Plenty of great books are out there that dig into the history of baseball, basketball and other sports that aren't very long at all. They have plenty of pictures too -- beautiful pictures.
When it comes to historical sports picture books, it's not surprising that many revolve around top stars. Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali are among those that have more than one picture book written about them.
A common theme running throughout them is how the focal characters, some of which aren't household names, overcome some sort of adversity. In some instances, it's through basic hard work and practice. In others, it's overcoming outside forces like war and circumstance.
Sounds kind of heavy for kids reading? That's part of the beauty of picture books. Good ones aren't necessarily just for the little ones. Great artwork and good storytelling aren't age specific.
Below are nearly three dozen sports pictures books that not only look at the past but they do so with beauty. Just like the writing is different in each, not all are done with the same style of art. Some aim for a realist look while others are much more abstract.
You can click on the links to learn more about each book on Amazon. Most also have previews available so that you can see and read a few pages.
Baseball Picture Books
Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth
The Babe & I
Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man
Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson Against the Odds
Teammates
Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Players In Pigtails
Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women who Won the World Championship
Mama Played Baseball
Barbed Wire Baseball
Baseball Saved Us
Football Picture Books
In the Pocket: Johnny Unitas and Me
Family Huddle
Basketball Picture Books
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream
Dream Big: Michael Jordan and the Pursuit of Excellence
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
Basketball Belles: How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women's Hoops on the Map
Hockey Picture Books
Gretzky's Game
A Hero Named Howe
Number Four, Bobby Orr!
The Goalie Mask
The Greatest Goal
Other Sports Picture Books
Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion
Racing Against the Odds: The Story of Wendell Scott, Stock Car Racing's African-American Champion
Jim Thorpe's Bright Path
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
Pele, King of Soccer
Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee
America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
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![We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (Co [PREMIUM LEATHER BOUND]](https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/8CEAAOSwEMplAD3n/s-l225.jpg)
