Kid Konnection: National Geographic Kids Sports Books

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you three new books from National Geographic Kids that are the perfect way to celebrate the Olympics!

Summary: Become an expert on sports, just in time for the 2016 Olympics! From archery to zip lining this book covers EVERYTHING about the world's favorite team and individual sports. With stunning visuals and energetic, impactful design, readers won't stop until they've learned everything there is to know about the history, rules and regs, training, and practice of dozens of athletic pursuits. Includes popular sports such as baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, and quirkier sports such as fencing, curling, and table tennis. -- National Geographic Kids

Booking Son couldn't have be happier with my latest haul of books from National Geographic Kids because they focus on his favorite reading subject -- sports! Rarely does he grab books from my desk, but in the case of these three, he could hardly decide which one to look at first.

EVERYTHING SPORTS: ALL THE FUN PHOTOS, FACTS, AND FUN TO MAKE YOU JUMP! by Eric Zweig with sports reporter Shalise Manza Young is terrific and it definitely lives up to its title. This colorful book explains in easy-to-understand language the basics of the world's most well-known team and individual sports. In fact, it's perfect for this time of year when the world's athletes are on full display in Rio.

This book has a little bit of everything for the curious sports fan. There are both popular sports as well as more obscure ones covered. For example, it features football, baseball, basketball and gymnastics, but it also covers fencing, curling, bowling, and bicycle motocross. In addition, it includes a wide variety of topics including the history of a sport, its star players, the rules and regulations, as well as interesting trivia tidbits.

As interesting as I found this book, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how amazing the photographs are. This is probably sounding redundant because every single time I feature a book by National Geographic Kids, I'm blown away by the photos. The action shots are spectacular, but there are also some interesting ones of what's inside various balls and famous hall of famers.

I adored EVERYTHING SPORTS and I suspect young sports fans will feel the exact same way!

Summary: Get ready for the Olympics! Everything has its weird side -- even sports! Add wacky stats, facts, and stories to your arsenal of spots trivia with this new slam-dunk addition to the very popular Weird but True series! Discover tons more zany fun, focused totally on the subject of sports! So step up to the plate to get 300 ALL-NEW amazing facts plus photos. -- National Geographic Kids

WEIRD BUT TRUE SPORTS: 300 WACKY FACTS ABOUT AWESOME ATHLETICS is the latest addition to this fun series of Weird but True books. I had to laugh while reading this book because it really is outrageous. Many of the facts are almost to crazy to be real.

The book is really worth checking out. Each page features a Weird but True fact and there are over 300 different ones in this book. Here are just a few examples of some of the Weird but True facts:

America's first female Olympic champion competed against her own mother -- and won.

The Bunnies competing in the Rabbit Grand National in North Yorkshire, England, are specially trained to leap over hurdles.

Baseball star Ty Cobb's teeth sold at auction for $7,475.

I could go on and on with the absurdity! But I will say that this book is a bit addictive. I couldn't stop reading these fun facts and I admit there were only a few that I had heard before.

I have a feeling that this is a book that I'm going to be hearing a lot about in the next few days. I know I wanted to share some of the stories with someone; and if I know my son at all, he'll be telling the rest of the family about these stats and facts.

Summary: Do you love sports? Are you excited for the 2016 Olympic games? Here's an activity book that puts you right at the center of the gold-medal action! Fill in the blanks as you and a friend try your best at gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and much more! -- National Geographic Kids

And last but certainly not least is FUNNY FILL-IN: MY GOLD MEDAL ADVENTURE. This activity book is similar to the Mad Libs books that were all the rage when I was a kid. I'm sure most of you remember them, but just in case I'll give you a brief description of FUNNY FILL-IN.

Each page layout features a brief story with a cute cartoon picture. On the left hand side of the page spread is a list of descriptions like verb, noun, adjective, type of animal, etc. You can either fill in the blanks by yourself or have a friend play the game with you. After completing this part, there is a story on the right hand side of the page spread. You transfer the answers to the fill-ins to the actual story and read with your answers. I guarantee a fun and silly time!

One thing I liked about this version of the game is that you can play by yourself. Because the fill-ins are on a separate page from the story, you can come up with words for each description without knowing the topic of the story. As long as you don't peek, it works almost as well as playing with a friend. Of course, it probably is more fun to do this activity with someone but the point is you could play by yourself!

Another cute aspect of this book is that sports fun facts are included on each page spread. Some kids, like my son, will love this part of the book because it's just another way to learn more about his favorite subject matter.

All three of these National Geographic Kids' books are both fun and educational. I highly recommend them for sports fans young and old alike!

Thanks to the Media Masters for providng review copies of these books.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!