Many people look up to sports stars, especially kids. Unfortunately, they are not all worthy of the hero designation, but the athletes in this book all overcame situations in their lives (particularly their childhood) to become the famous athlete they are recognized as being. David Stabler introduced us to well-known athletes and described their upbringing and struggles to get to the top. Both male and female athletes were highlighted and a variety of sports. Some of the issues they dealt with included racism, sexism, being sent to reform school as a child, being involved in a serious accident that resulted in serious physical damage and even lack of funds to participate in sports. Helping to overcome the odds the athletes usually had one person in their corner that made all the difference in turning their lives around, redirecting their negative energies into positive things, and turning mentors into heroes. if it wasn't a single person, it was family that pushed many athletes to do their best and overcome clumsiness or other issues. The last section in the book dealt with athletes who persevered and practised over and over to develop their skills. I enjoyed the stories and learned about some of the athletes that I knew and some I did not. This book would be inspirational to kids who have situations to deal with in their lives that might be roadblocks to their success. The old adage of practice makes perfect is definitely demonstrated in this book. The illustrations are not photographs, but cute, cartoonish pictures that help to add some humour to the story. This would be a great addition to a school library. ( )

"Kid Athletes" includes childhood stories of 16 famous athletes. I donated my early reviewer copy to the school where I work. The students keep it checked out and really enjoy learning about these athletes. I also purchased the other two books in the series to place in the library collection as well. ("Kid Presidents" & "Kid Artists") ( )

Kid Athletes is a fun book about various athletes during their childhoods. The tales about about 10 pages long for each athlete and tell a story that helped get them to the place they are today - as well known, successful athletes. Some of the athletes included are Danica Patrick, Mohammad Ali, Bruce Li, Gabby Douglas etc. There are a wide range of sports included, both males and females, and older as well as more recent athletes. So the book did a great job hitting the spectrum.

I enjoyed reading about these people and it is always refreshing to know that they led very normal lives at one point. I think young readers will enjoy the stories too. There are a lot of fun facts about the various athletes and any kid that enjoys sports will get a few good laughs.

Overall, I found this book very well done. It was entertaining and enjoyable and I think a young reader would like it. I plan on passing my copy along to my younger brothers who are very into sports facts, but I think a young girl would be just as amused. ( )

This book teaches kids that some of the heroes of sports weren't held back by their humble, oppressive beginnings.

Written geared toward children, obviously, but being clueless about sports, I didn't know any of this. The author took well known athletes and showed their upbringing and struggles to get to the top. Babe Ruth opens the book, and perhaps had the most heartbreaking story. He and the next, Jackie Robinson, both showed that having one person in their corner made all the difference in turning their lives around, redirecting their negative energies into positive things, and turning mentors into heroes. The wife of Babe Ruth ends his chapter with these wise words that sums it up: "When Babe Ruth was twenty-three, the world loved him," she said. "When he was thirteen, only Brother Matthias loved him." With Jackie, so much animosity was overcome because of racism, his pastor helped a lot of the kids.

The third story is on the tennis star, Billie Jean King, who had remarkable determination despite poverty, racism, and her parents being the only backers in her corner until later. Peyton Manning was a strange story because it was the only one did that not showcase what he grew up to do, instead talking about a struggle with dancing in front of everyone at a play. Danica Patrick was covered with being fearless and racing...fast, but I didn't feel the same empathy with her.

The second section was called family matters, focusing on Bobby Orr, Michael Jordan (he WAS clumsy), Tiger Woods, who was a prodigy from the start, Yao Ming, and Gabrielle Douglas.

Finally the third section is on Practice makes perfect, opening with Babe Didrikson Zaharrias (what a remarkable girl and woman!), Bruce Lee (had no idea he was such a troublemaker and rough), Mahammad Ali, Jesse Kuhaula, Julie Krone and the Marvelous Mischievious Pony (this was an endearing story about a pony more than the sports star) and ends with Lionel Messi.

A lot of these stories have poverty and setbacks as a shared bond, with determination and having that special person in your corner being the instigator for success. It's inspiring for kids, especially those who want to delve into sports. There are cute illustrations, some of them cleverly humorous, to help the book along. There are no actual pictures of the sport stars themselves. ( )