What is summer without some fun in the great outdoors? Kid’s should get wet, they should get sweaty, and they should obtain that healthy glow of summer (protected from burning by sunscreen, of course). My kids already have some new outdoor toys to help encourage that interest–Amanda has a skateboard, courtesy of her grandparents’ recent visit; and Kyle has been whacking away with his flimsy plastic golf clubs, and is waiting patiently for a free weekend when Dad can teach him to hit with the new whiffle ball and bat.
Amanda has just finished her soccer season in an intense rush (taking 2nd place in their division tournament, which was resch
eduled due to rain twice and finally ended on Sunday). I had her look at How Soccer Works for me last week, and before her last series of games in the tournament, she was telling me how it was important to have a good attitude when you’re playing–how if you picture yourself making a goal, you’ll be able to get it in. There is a chapter on the mind, and it doesn’t exactly say that, but can I admit that I haven’t seen Amanda play that well in the four years that she’s been in serious team play? She scored a goal, and made a few other attempts or passes right by the goal, so whatever it was seemed to be working.
This book features boys and girls in action, using bright cartoon drawings, and photos of real kids and athletes, so either sex will feel as if the book applies to them. In addition to the head game, topics covered include the history of the sport and the ball, basic moves and advanced strategies, and a look at the gear. There’s also a comprehensive glossary in the back and a section on the World Cup.
How Baseball Works addresses this sport in the same way. The pictures are more heavily weighted toward male figures, but there are girls in action as well. The section on the tools includes an experiment to help find your bat’s sweet spot. Pictures and diagrams show how to throw using a variety of pitches. There are features about the first women’s leagues and baseball greats (both players and ballfields), and controversial practices such as corking the bat and pumping 
up on drugs are addressed in sidebars throughout the book.
Another use of books in this series is as an introduction to the sport–as a spectator or a player. On the first page of both books, a girl has a cartoon bubble coming out of her mouth saying, “Psssst. You don’t have to be a baseball (or soccer) fanatic to read this book. The rules and regs and baseball (or soccer) talk are decoded on page 61.”
The author, Keltie Thomas, has also written other books on basketball and hockey in the How Sports Work series if those sports are what interests your kid. I have reviewed several other books by Maple Tree Press in the past (Smartopedia, This is My Planet, and some science books). They have all been terrific and do uphold their goal of “offering bright, inventive books on a wide range of subjects, including animals, sports, folktales, humor, health and fitness, science, and history.”
Would your eight to twelve-year-old like to find out more about the nitty gritty of of How Soccer Works or How Baseball Works? Three of you (U.S. addresses only) will be selected to win both of these books. Leave a comment, and then check back on June 24 to find out all the winners of the Creative Summer Days giveaway.
for fun
My grand girls love sports!
My son is just getting into sports so these would be great!
my kids are soccer freaks 🙂
My grandson really needs this book.
Please enter me into the contest. Thanks!
I admit I know nothing about soccer so this would be great to win!
My dd will probably be playing soccer again in the fall, she’d like this.
My nephew is a baseball freak; the perfect birhtday gift in August; perhaps I could take a peak also. thanks Sw
Would love to win, the books sound .
My son just had his last baseball game of the season yesterday and he would love this book. He is a struggling baseball player right now but is only six.
My son would love this prize. He is so into sports!
My youngest daughter has taken an interest in soccer. She would enjoy this.
The boys could use som etips. Thanks for this giveaway
My son would love this.
My granddaughter would love these books.
I’d love to win this for my oldest son. He is just now getting into sports, so this would be great for him.
Thanks for the contest!
I would love to win.
Great prize! Both of my kids play soccer and would LOVE the soccer book. Thank you!!
My 4 year old daughter is trying soccer this summer for the first time. I would love to have something to read to her before her first session.
count me in please 🙂
Would love to win this for my daughter!
I NEED the soccer book! I’m trying to learn the rules!
My daughter loves soccer.
I’d love to use this to tempt my little couch potato.
My 10 year olds would love it.
My son would enjoy this.
Thanks for making a great site!!
Please enter me into the contest!!
mmmmmm sports ??
Very nice books. Thanks for the contest!
My 2 girls love sports!! This would be perfect!!
I would love to win this for my grandsons!
I’d love to win these for my nephew – thanks for the giveaway!
sounds good
I would love to win. we adore soccer!
Great books!
Sweet niblets!
Enter me please!
My grandkids would love this!they love sports and 2 read . ty 4 the contest!
Being a Health and Physical Education teacher I know how inmportant physical activity is!! It’s never a bad idea to promote it any way you can!!
Thank you for the chance to win!!!
count me in
Soccer is the best sport ever!
great contest.
enter me please
this would be a ‘great read”
This would be a good gift to give my son for his birthday in a few months!
What a wonderful prize!
This will great! My kids love reading and sports!
Very cool. Thanks for the super giveaway!
are all about baseball
oh man…..my boys, who are just now getting into soccer and basketball and baseball, would really get some use out of these! Thanks for sharing!
my husband and i need to learn about soccer because we’re getting an exchange student who loves/wants to play soccer and we know nothing
my kids would love this
Yay for sports!
I’d love to win this for my son
My son would like both of these
Nice prize.
Wow, what a cool prize.
my 10-year-old daughter is trying to find her “sport,” she says she’s not crazy for basketball, and wants to learn about soccer, which she enjoys playing at school. These books look like a great way to get our book lovers into sports, and our sports lovers into books!
enter me
Yeah!
Thanks for the info! sounds like a great series
my son loves sports and loves to read too 🙂
Sounds interesting, count me in
would be great to win for my sporty kids who love to read!
A great gift that helps motivate the mind of children. Thanks for having a gift that help in the learning process
My son would love this!
I’d love to win them for Connor!
I blogged your contest on Prize-A-Tron!
http://www.prizeatron.com
My son would love this.I am originally from Germany,born and raised there.Everytime we go home to visit my family we spend a lot of time on the soccer field,its a big thing in my family.My son is starting to be interested in it and would propably love this prize.Thank you for the contest.
Would love this!
Great books for those starting out!
thanks for the contest
just to cool
What great books – we’d all love to read them.
My boys would enjoy reading these books.
I would love to win the How Soccer Works to help my daughter. Soccer is the one sport I never played.
Soccer would be great for my daughter, and my son would love the baseball one!
My son loves sports…
enter me
my oldest would love this!
wow
My boys think they know everything about both baseball and soccer, but Nick loves to read so much (and he loves sports so much) these would be perfect for him.
The How Baseball Works book would be excellent for my baseball obsessed son!
My boys would love these books. Please enter me. Thanks!
How exciting! My kids would love these!
Perfect books for my kiddies:)
This would be a fabulous gift for my nephew!
My post with your button is here:
http://www.livinwithme.com/2008/06/fabulous-giveaways/
Ooh! Thank you! I think my 9yo DD would love How Soccer Works! Thanks!
Angie
Oh! My son would LOVE to win that for his 8th birthday (July)!!
We just got back from a baseball game.
We are all about baseball right now!!!
We love baseball.
I would love this for my son, but it would be great so I could read and actually know what is going on, thans
My son is really influenced by the things that he reads. I would love to show him these books to see if they would help him to feel a little more comfortable with trying a new sport.
owatz (at) telus (dot) net
I want to win
My son could really use this before sports start back in the fall.
This would be great to give to my friend’s son. He’s very into baseball. Thanks!
We’d benefit from either of these books. I was raised in a place where baseball doesn’t exist, so I’m clueless on that one and I’d like to be able to offer at least some textbook help to the kids!
And my nephew is just now getting into soccer, so I’m sure he’d devour that book!
My son loves to play soccer and wants to play baseball. I know these would be handy to have.
Would like to have this!
This would be great for my nephews who just started playing baseball!
My 8 year old is starting to get into sports these would be great.
Thanks, I’d love to be entered for a chance to win!
neat
my son would love it
nice gift for my grandson
Too cool!!!
Ohh, I would LOVE to win these! My DS just started T-ball and all this sports stuff is so new to us artsy-fartsy parents!
My son would love these!
Both my sons are very into soccer and my oldest knows how it works in general but this would be great to teach him even more and he plays baseball as well so it would come in handy with that too as he is not as natural with baseball as he is with soccer
I am a soccer mom of two boys. Thanks for the chance.
We would love to check out how Soccer Works! I am always looking for ways to help my daughter improve her game since she plays on a very competitive, traveling team and is entering many tournaments.
Thanks!
my kids both love sports, these would be cool for them.
our youngest in soccer and the older boy in baseball
Thank you for this giveaway. I would love to win the baseball book for my son. He loves baseball so much.
Thank you and please enter me.
My kids would love these books.
cool prize
Perfect summer giveaway
Sports rule in our home! Mainly, for socialization and being active! Baseball is # 1 with our sons.
Please enter me in your fun drawing for these two sports books. All is appreciated…..Cindi
Thank you so much for offering such a wonderful giveaway.
I would LOVE to win !!
My husband would love to have this for my daughter!
All of my boys would love these books. Please enter me. Thanks.
i would gift this!
this would be a cool prize!
I have our youngest in soccer and the older boy in baseball .These would be super.
my 9 year old loves all things sports!
thanks!
moore.g at insideconnect.net
love to win this
Tornado loves baseball already and we plan to start him in t ball next year! this would be a great asset as he grows
My daughter would love these books. They are fabulous! Thanks for this fun giveaway!
Count me in! My kids would love it and I’m sure I would learn a thing or 20…
gkstratos @yahoo.com
trent loves baseball i would love to win him this book
These sound awesome. My son is so interested in playing with the other kids but it makes him so nervous. I think books like these would be a big help.
My 10 yo bookworm son would love this. Thanks for the chance.
like to win this
My son would love this.
Please enter me
My son would love the soccer book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Oh yeah…with Eurocup 2008 going on right now, the girls in my life would love the soccer book.
My grandkids would love this
love to win for my grandson