Reviews (4)

Beware, New age content!
I bought this book for my daughter who does gymnastics and is a Christian. I was excited to find similar role models. I was deeply disappointed in this book. I thought this was a Christian book because that is the reputation Mary Lee Tracy has and the book was published by a Christian publisher (Standard Publishing). I was disappointed to find the contributors from all walks of life and philosopy including New Age. Many of the athletes' entries are pretty light on Christian committment. And, one contributer is outright New age. Dr. Allison Arnold is a sports pschologist who is highlighted in the book. She has trained with monks and admits she is a closet eastern philosopy junkie whose sport's philosophy is based on the wisdom of the east. That would be ok if that was known prior to buying the book. I think it's dishonest to portray a book as Christian when it really isn't.

Filled with tips and solid advice
Olympic gold-medal coach Mary Lee Tracy presents Living The Gold Medal Life: Inspirations From Female Athletes, a spiral-bound collection of wisdom and insight from women who trained hard to achieve the pinnacle of physical strength, speed, finesse, and grace. Self-improvement questions with blanks for writing down answers pepper the pages of this motivational and highly recommended personal athletic performance guide filled with tips and solid advice.

Covers can be deceiving!
This book's cover looks appealing enough. The writing is very dull reading. My daughter is a gymnast. She is 11 and the book is supposed to be for kids her age. She was very disappointed in it. The book seems to be written for someone much older -- even an adult. Most of the topics were not practical. Plus, the cover is nice but the inside looks like the book was self-published --very poor quality. My daughter and I were extremely disappointed in this book.

Living the Gold Medal Life is a Winner!
I bought this book for my daughter who is a gymnast and went right back to the store and purchased another book for my daughter who plays basketball.

The book provides inspiration and encouragement from athletes who my daughters can relate to. The journal areas of the book are a great place for my daughters to explore their feelings and help them to understand themselves in their competitive environments. It is the perfect book for them to include in their gym bag to read before their sports competitions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful book for little league players and coaches
Buy this book for your entire team before next season and enjoy the best baseball experience of your life! Steven Krasner relays the pros' insight and tips in an easy-reading format that's perfect for kids, coaches, and parents. Krasner's message is that baseball is all about fun-- and practicing the skills and drills in this winner makes the game more fun for everyone. ... Read more

Book Description

This inspiring poem encourages children to view life with the same determination and passion that Michael Jordan displays in how he plays basketball. By listening to their inner voice and looking to those who love and support them, children can find their own way to fly. Distinguished poet Eloise Greenfield and celebrated artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist honor the beauty of the human spirit and offer a timeless message that will resonate with readers young and old.

... Read more

Reviews (4)

a story
I have mixed feelings about Michael Jordan. On the one hand, he is a great athlete. I respect his work ethic. He has turned in a number of great performances and is no doubt one of the greatest to have ever played the game of basketball.

There is a flipside. Michael Jordan got all kinds of special treatment while he was in the NBA. He was the first player I noticed who was granted all kinds of trips to the charity stripe because of unbelievably, ticky tack calls. He scored at least ten points a game at the free throw line from bogus calls. It was great when there was a picture session for 'greats of the game' with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Magic told Larry not to stand too close to Michael or they might call a foul. In front of reporters and television viewers, that was a classic comment by Magic. I believe Mike got 99% of all calls in his favor because he was such a cash cow for the NBA. Dominique Wilkins was robbed of a slam dunk championship when Mike scored a perfect 50 doing the same dunk Dr. J did years before. I doubt Dr. J ever received a perfect 50 for it. Dominique's dunk was much more impressive, and he received a 49.5. Please. Mike got in a fight with Reggie Miller, and only Miller got suspended at first. Only after there was an outcry did Mike get suspended. How are Mike's punches different? Mike elbowed Kevin Johnson to the ground for all to see, and Kevin was called for blocking!

I am not too impressed that the bulls beat the lakers in the NBA finals. Magic was double teamed every game every minute he was in. On top of that, James Worthy and Byron Scott were injured. Magic and Larry never won three championships in a row because the competition, teams, and players in the 80s were much better than the nineties. Luc Longley, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, or Bill Wennington stopping Kareem? Ha!

Sport Magazine recently had a piece on the ten greatest moments and ten greatest players ever in the NBA. Mike was ranked number one all time player. Kudos to Mike for mentioning in 'For the love of the game' that to pick a "greatest ever" is impossible because of all the different eras and evolutions of basketball. The nineties bulls were given three of the ten greatest moments in NBA history. This is just more Mike bias. Give me a break. There are hundreds of classic and amazing moments in NBA history. One of the moments picked was Mike beating the Jazz in the final minutes of his last game. He put his hand on Bryon Russel's backside and shoved him out of the way. Then Mike made the game winnig shot. All eyes were on Mike, but the ref did not make the obvious call.

There is also Mike's arrogance. According to him, Wilt Chamberlain was a fluke eventhough Wilt was a great all around player. He made a comment about Magic and Larry reaching a 'certain level of greatness' and that the two were not good on defense. What? Are we talking about the same Larry Bird? Shaquille Oneal is also much better and much improved than Mike gives him credit for. Shaq has turned into a solid defender, passer, and he works hard at both ends of the floor.

Mike's corporate poster boy behavior is laughable. He did ads for AT&T and then MCI. The Wayans family is also split between the two companies. Mike talked about the enviroment in Rayovac ads and then pitches hot dogs? Mike is not the only athlete who will pitch anything and everything to make millions. I wonder if Mike has checked into Nike's labor practices.

Players like Mike and Charles Barkley soured me on the NBA. Charles played like a thug and got away with it because he was a star. Plus, Charles insisted on wearing number 34 at Philadelphia eventhough it was retired for NBA great Billy Cunningham. The star treatment and inflated egos has grown old, and that has turned a lot of people off to sports. I miss the Lakers and Celtics match ups of the 1980s.

Michael Jordan was never my hero!
Michael Jordan never impressed me as a player! I personally think this book was self glorification! He may be the greatest , but not as a player in my book! I did like the pictures, and there were a lot of facts that I did not know about(like his contract with Nike shoes) but I feel like I wasted my money on this book! I don't reccomend you buy it but then again, we all have different tastes.

Fabulous!
This book is inspirational! You don't even have to know who Michael Jordan is to understand the message in this book: follow your dreams, no matter what. Terrific!!!

For The Love of the Game: Michael Jordan & Me
This was an excellent book with a strong positive message to all kids ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Crazy Book!
This book is really awesome! You cannot believe the stories Shaun Morey has in his book. A six-year-old tiny little girl fighting a gigantic 76 pound salmon! Wow! That was just one story wait until you read the others. ... Read more

Book Description

Learning about the game of football has never been more fun. My Football Book is a shaped board book that shows kids the basics of the game, explains the role of each player, and identifies what spectators see on the field. Full-color photos of NFL pros show all the action. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT INTRO TO FOOTBALL POSITIONS
I bought this book for my four-year-old nephew and it is perfect for his age. The book goes through each position (quarterback, wide receiver, etc.) and what that position's function is, and has neat little facts in captions to complement each section. Great big pictures and easy reading for adults (not too long!) and will be perfect once a child can read on his/her own. The info provided is also not too technical...just gives a basic explanation of each position. Its pages are designed so it's like a "board" book with the heavier cardboard...it will withstand many many readings. If you're looking for an easy-to-read intro book to football and its positions, this is a great book. If you're looking for something more in-depth (like detailed rules, etc.), you might want to find something else. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Provide your kids with something suitable for them to see.
While others may see Hulk Hogan as something that he is not, Hogan is truly the man responsible for forming the business that has gained such main stream popularity over the past few years. Hogan did it first, best, and right.

This book is well worth a look. It talks about Hollywood Hogan and has some really cool pictures of Hogan inside of it.It proves that there is only one Hulk Hogan, and no matter how many Steve Austin's, Rock's, Foley's, or anyone else comes along, they will never equal to what Hulk Hogan has done for this sport. Hulk did it the right way, and that's just the way it is.

It's good to give to your kids and teach them that the dirty sport that parents show their kids was once good and I'm proud to say that I look up to Hogan as what this business is, and should've never stopped being about.

the rock says
i love this book i am 11 and if you think about it you rememberthis is not a perfesional writer so i think this is an awsum book forthe most electrifying man in sports history yeh go Rock ! ... Read more

Book Description

Books in Barron's "Sport Success" series profile successful femaleathletes and recount their triumphs on fields of play. Books also cover thestory of each sport, summarize rules, and present important information onresources for playing and actively promoting the games among women. Theyencourage girls to participate in athletics as a way of having fun anddeveloping the habit of success that will extend to other aspects of theirlives. This title profiles baseball and softball stars Julie Croteau, DotRichardson, Lisa Fernandez, and Ila Borders. Girls will also find tips onsuccessful hitting, pitching, and fielding. (Ages 10 and older) ... Read more

Book Description

Delia loves Double Dutch. And she's good at it. Really good. So good that her team has a chance to win the World Double Dutch Championships this year -- Delia is sure of it. What she is less sure of is her chance of passing the school's state exam, because Delia has been using her success at Double Dutch to mask a secret that could jeopardize her place on the team, and also her future.

Delia's not the only one with a secret. Her potential boyfriend, Randy, has one too -- his dad has been missing for weeks, and Randy hasn't told anyone for fear he'll be put in a foster home. But he is running out of money and getting scared.

The one thing that isn't a secret is that their classmates, the Tolliver twins, are out to cause trouble. With their skull caps, angry demeanors, and hints of violence emanating from even the way they stalk down the school halls, they seem to enjoy intimidating the other kids. But will they cross the line from intimidation to violence?

With consummate skill and an uncanny ability to capture how real kids think, act, and feel, Tears of a Tiger author Sharon M. Draper weaves these three stories tighter and tighter, creating a novel that tingles with suspense and emotion. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Learning the Ropes
Secrets run rampant amongst the eighth graders depicted in the book DOUBLE DUTCH. The main character of the book, Delia, has been keeping her illiteracy a secret for years. She has an excellent memory, which she uses to hide the fact that she cannot read. She is terrified that her secret will be revealed when her teacher announces an upcoming standardized test. Delia's, "friend" Randy is also carrying a heavy burden. Abandoned by his mother, Randy finds himself on his own after his truck driver father disappears. Not knowing where to turn, Randy begins to pawn goods and pray that his father has not deserted him like his mother did. The Tolliver Twins (Titan and Tabu) terrorize the school and neighborhood. Their behavior is so bad that their mother takes them on national television to get help. However, a tragedy shows everyone a side of the Tollivers that they had never seen before. Yolanda is Delia's best friend. She happens to be a compulsive liar and brings comic relief to the seriousness of the book.

Aside from having secrets, the characters in this book are brought together by their love of double dutch. The book does an excellent job telling a brief history of double dutch and portraying the hard work and determination it takes to participate in the sport.

Sharon Draper had written an excellent book that shows the dangers that keeping secrets may have. Dealing with issues of illiteracy, abandonment, fear, and preconceived notions, this book has a little something that all preteens can relate to. My only criticism is that I wish the reason Delia could not read had been explored more. This is another great novel from a wonderful author.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

An escape of Life
Double Dutch was an amazing novel about the lives of troubled 8th grade students. Delia has a problem, she can't read, and chooses not to tell any one. Until 8th grade when Delia's best friend, Yolanda, questions Delia's ability to read. Yolanda spices up the mixture of characters with her urge to stretch the truth. Delia and Yolanda also hangout with Roger. Roger also has a secret; his truck driver father has been missing for weeks. He chooses not to tell anyone because he is scared that he will be separated from his father, since his mother ran away. Randy sacrifices VCR's and other appliances for money to survive. Later he finds out that his father was almost beat to death, when he refused to give up his truck to thieves. On top of all of their personal problems they also have to stay clear out of the way of the Toliver Twins. They are over grown 8th grade twins that only want each other and if you are in their way they will beat you up until you remember next time to watch out. The only escape these friends have is Double Dutch. Double Dutch is their time to shine, a place were nothing can go wrong, and where nothing else in the world matters except the rhythm of your feet and the rope beneath them. Yolanda and Delia are amazing jumpers and like to sound of success. Roger is their equipment manager and keeps the team very organized. Read Double Dutch by Sharon M. Draper to find out if the lives of these friends ever change for the better.

Do not be decieved by the title!
I am a 13 year old girl from New York. Lately I have had a lot of trouble gettting into books and I almost stopped reading this one! That would have been so stupid! "Double Dutch" si one of the greatest books that I will have ever checked out of my library! "Double Dutch" is about Delia, an 8th grade girl who, surprisingly has a big secret.. She CAN'T read!!! Her best friend Yolanda formally known as Yo-Yo confronted her about it when she learned the truth. This is a big problem even though you do not need to read in order to compete in double dutch... but it is oneo fthe biggest things everyone needs to know how to do. Yo-Yo adn Delia are superbe Double Dutchers. Their 2 teammates: Misty and Charlene are very good as well. When the "World Championships" are held in Cincinatti the girls are veryeager to compete and win. Their assistant named Randy also works hard with the team. Randy has abig crush on Delia and would do anything for her. Th two are good friends. There are two people that everyone at school are afraid of.. THE TOlliver Twins, Tabu and Titan. THe two black boys walk through the hallways with out any expression on their faces. But when the storm hits are people going to figure out their secrets and will Yo-Yo be ok? This book is soo awesome and I am so glad to reccomend it to other readers around the world.

Double Dutch
When I first read this book, I was surprised that the girl said she couldnt read. I was thinking "How can her parents not notice?". It was a good book, but kind of unrealistic in this day and age because all kids are being taught how to read, write, add, subtract, ect, because of the law. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (18)

Great, highly recommended!
This book was originally published in New York City, in 1890. It is the work of Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941), a fun-loving boy-at-heart, who organized a boy's organization (the Society of the Sons of Daniel Boone) and was later instrumental in the establishment of the Boy Scouts of America. This book is a wonderful collection of projects that a boy can make, everything from kite making and fishing to tying knots and camping. Sound familiar?

Overall, I found the projects to be quite interesting. Some of them are a little out of step with modern sensibilities, such as putting broken glass onto kites to make "war kites," or making blowguns. But, that said, this is a great book with a lot of interesting projects, one that I am very glad that I got. So, if you have a young boy, and are interested in Scouting, or just plum making things, then this book is for you. My son and I highly recommend it to you!

Thank you Daniel C. Beard for writing this book.
An excelent guide on many unique projects. It tells you how to tie many knots, make boats, snares, and hunting tools like bird-bolas and throw sticks. I don't care what anyone says THIS BOOK IS NOT OUT OF DATE! Just because over a century has passed since being written doesn't mean that one won't enjoy making sleds, snow forts, and whip bows. Sure it's old fashioned but not out of date. One can still enjoy the many projects, I certainly enjoy them more than the tv.

retro fun for active kids
Filled with black & white illustrations and schematics, this guide for American boys, originally published in 1882, is organized by season and is chock-full of instructions, suggestions and advice about kites, fishing, knots, telescopes, tents, soap bubbles, animals, snowball warfare, puppets, kaleidoscopes, whirligigs, costumes, decoys--even fireworks!!The emphasis is on building things yourself, and to that end it is an extremely valuable handbook for our increasingly passive society.There are definitely things here that will give you pause or that are culturally dated -- like making a blow gun, trapping and raising wild animals and taxidermy at home -- but that is where parenting comes in, and all-in-all I would say this is a valuable and exciting book for kids, filled with pragmatic insights and a fun historical document as well.Snowball war, anyone?

handy boy
I think the book is good for any boy who likes to build forts,go hunting,train dogs,go fishing,build boats and rafts, catch and tame wild birds,and traping. It teaches how to make all a boy wants and more.including how to use them.Let me put it this way this book is a boys dream.If you ask me how do I know I will tell you because I am a boy.

A MUST HAVE for parents and Scout Leaders
Not much has changed in the 110 years since this book was first published.Children still love the outdoors and to make crafts.

Return to the simple life and learn to build all kinds of kites. How about a "fisherman's friend" that alerts you when you have a nibble?

Hundreds of simple projects that, if done as individuals, or as families will bring a smile to your face ... and you won't even miss the television ... Read more

Book Description

Sports Spectrum’s Dave Branon hits a home run when he brings together the worlds of faith and sports to create this unique devotional designed just for young sports fanatics. Heads Up! uses stories of athletes and sporting events to inspire faith and achievement in kids. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Heads Up Receives Thumbs Up !
Dave Branon did an excellent job writing this book for children to help them connect sports with God. Too many times the emphasis is place on the sports player and not on the One who blessed them with their athletic gift.

My son was eager to get his hands on this book after hearing about it....

Make an investment in your sports child's life. This book will help them to focus on God first as they compete in whatever sport they enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

Fans Wept. The Crowd Cheered. The Announcers Went Wild. You JustHad To Be There. And You Can Be.

In words and images--and on two audio CDs narrated by award-winning sportsjournalist Bob Costas--And The Crowd Goes Wild brings to life the spine-tinglingmoments that brought us to our feet.

From bleachers to box seats to living room sofas, devoted fans and casualobservers yearn for the thrill of last-minute heroics, underdog victories or thecrowning moment of a champion's career.

And The Crowd Goes Wild recounts forty-seven of the most memorable moments insports and spotlights the photographs that tell the stories. Accompanying thebook, two digitally mastered CDs contain over two hours of audio, including theactual calls of the announcers who were just as excited, surprised and awestruckas the fans.

Their words--and the emotional charge in their voices--take you back to theheart-stopping thrill of the event, when an athlete triumphed...and the crowdwent wild! ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Would be better with video
Obviously, some of the "Classic" events of the sporting world are stunning when heard. Before live television, this was all there was. Sportscasters knew how to broadcast with energy and adjectives to paint the picture. For modern events, sportscasters are so unprepared to radio broadcasts, the listener isn't "in the game." This book, though the selections are appropriate, would be better supplimented with a DVD of the sports highlights.

Wild!
No matter what sport you are interested in, this book will be something you will find interesting. This is a big glossy picture book that tells a brief history story of sports by looking at key moments in sports history in the last 100 years. There are critical moments that will live forever -- when Babe Ruth pointed his finger and called the shot for his homerun, when Lou Gehrig said goodbye forever to game he loved so much, when Secretariat won the third race to take the Triple Crown, when Nadia Comanedi nailed that perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics, all the way up to when Tiger Woods won the Masters and Mark McGwire passed the Maris home-run record, these are the times. With this book you not only get to read about them and see the pictures, but you get the sounds from the broadcasts, too, on two CDs that are part of this item. With narration by Bob Costas (anyone who watches sports will recognize him) you can relive the moments in sound, color, pictures and words, about as close as you can get to being there. This is a great book, a great gift for any sports fan, and if anyone ever had any doubt about sports being exciting, this book has the moments that will show just how exciting things can get!

Nice Concept - Costas Ruins It
The idea behind this collection is very nice. Unfortunately this is nothing more than a Bob Costas monologue interspersed with very brief snippets of broadcast footage. Like some of the other reviewers, I found myself wanting to tell Costas to shut up so I could listen to the original footage. His narration is overblown and mostly unnecessary. I recall similar collections focusing on sports and news from the 1960s that were narrated by Curt Gowdy and Walter Cronkite. Those two guys know how to set up a clip without getting in the way of it. Costas tries to be more important than the material and ruins this collection. Mine went straight to EBAY.

great for the old sports fan with stories galore
Filled with tons of great stories from 1932 to 1999. Filled with your most favorite sports stories. It has 173 pages , not including the intro and foreword by Hank Aaron and the credits. Comes with 2 Audio Cd's, which say the same thing as the book. The audio cd is great background music for formal parties and much more. This is overall a great buy.

More entertaining than "We Interrupt This Broadcast..."
I enjoyed this set more than the previous title for the mere fact that Bob Costas yaps for far less time than Bill Kurtis on most of the tracks. Costas is, for the most part, concise and sets up very well the moment about to be heard. Bill Kurtis tended to ramble on longer than the news clip on "We Interrupt This Broadcast..."

Overall, I really enjoyed these moments, especially as I am too young to remember over 3/4ths of them =), you can still get a tingle hearing the call on the Cal-Stanford game, Wilt's 100th point, etc. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction
Zeigler captures the excitement and the science behind such an extreme sport. ... Read more