Looking for books to buy for your little brother, sister, cousin, friend, newphew, niece? Here is a list of my all time favorites:
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Little Granny Quarterback
by: Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, Michael Chesworth (Boyds Mills Pr, October
2001)
Ages 5 to 8
Martin has coupled his notorious sense of humor with his favorite sport to come
up with a quirky little picture book. Granny Whiteoak, who was a star
quarterback in her youth, hears on TV that her team is in trouble. She leaps
from her bed and into the television, coming out at the stadium where she
defeats the opposition with a startling touchdown.
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Miss Nelson Has a Field Day
by: Harry G. Allard (Houghton Mifflin Co, October 1988)
Ages 5 to 8
The Smedley Tornadoes have a big football game coming up, so Miss Nelson calls
in dreaded substitute teacher Viola Swamp to whip the team into shape.
Whiz Kid Quarterbacks (DK Readers Series)
by: DK Publishing staff (DK Publishing, October 2003)
Ages 5 to 9
The stories of some of the most incredible young quarterbacks in football today
come to life in this exciting DK Reader. Read about how Michael Vick, Donovan
McNabb, Tom Brady, and many more of the game's best got their start in the NFL.
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Elves Can't Tackle
by: Robert Skead (Cross Training Publishing, September 2004)
Ages 6 and up
This story of loyalty between friends Ralphy, the polar bear, and his best
friend Sebastian, the elf, comes to life on the football field. Sebastian and
the gang are on a mission to give Jack Fabulous, professional football's most
famous quarterback, a little Christmas spirit. In the process, Sebastian ends up
on the team for the Christmas Eve "Sandwich Bowl" game, but a problem
arises because Sebastian is an elf, and elves can't tackle.
NFL Readers: Peyton Manning
by: James Buckley (Dorling Kindersley Publishing, August 2001)
Ages 7 to 9
Peyton Manning is one of the NFL's hottest young quarterbacks. Read about how he
worked hard to make his NFL dreams come true!
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Rumblin' Running Backs: NFL
by: James Buckley (DK Publishing, August 2001)
Ages 7 to 9
Biff! Bam! Boom!...Score! Inside, meet the running backs who have been some of
the NFL's greatest stars!
Behind The Scenes
by: James Preller (Scholastic, August 2003)
Ages 7 to 12
Come behind the scenes for an up close look at America's favorite sport. You'll
go to training camp where rookies and veterans hone their skills. You'll get an
up close look at the equipment they wear and use everyday. Then it's on to the
locker room prior to a big match. See what happens before, during and after a
game. Finally, come to the biggest game of all--the Super Bowl where the two
best teams battle it out for the right to be called champions.
Fantasy Football
by: James Preller (Scholastic, August 2003)
Ages 7 to 12
What is fantasy football? It's a game that you can play using the real-life
performances of NFL players. How do you play? Well, the first thing is to get
some friends together and form a league. Each person owns a team,
"drafts" players, sets starting lineups, and counts up the points that
their "team" scores to figure out who wins.
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Record Breakers
by: Jim Buckley, Jim Buckley, Jr. (Scholastic, August 2003)
Ages 7 to 12
Who holds the current NFL record for Rushing? How about Passing? Or Touchdowns?
Read all about the records, the record-setters, and how they did it. Things may
move quickly during a game, but you'd be surprised at how long some of the NFL's
greatest records have stood -- and who finally broke them and how. If you've
ever wondered about what makes NFL history, this is the book for you.
The Road to the NFL
by: Tim Green (Scholastic, August 2003)
Ages 7 to 12
Ever wondered how top athletes got their start in the game? Well, former NFL
star Tim Green (now a regular commentator for NPR and Fox as well as a novelist
in his own right) is going to tell you. Drawing on interviews he's conducted in
the course of his career, this is the real story of how some of biggest,
toughest, hardest-hitting guys came to play the game.
Superstars
by: James Preller (Scholastic, August 2003)
Ages 7 to 12
Meet fourteen of the hottest players in the NFL right now. From Chicago's Brian
Urlacher to Green Bay's Brett Favre to Dallas's Emmitt Smith to Miami's Ricky
Williams, these guys run faster, throw further, and hit harder than any one
else. Veterans and rookies, they're all here. Who's your favorite? Find out how
he stacks up against the competition.
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Team Tracker
by: James Preller (Scholastic, August 2003)
Ages 7 to 12
In this fantastic book you'll met all the NFL teams and players from the
veterans to the up and coming rookies to watch. Learn about each team's playoff
history and their chances for the new season. Gather all the facts and stats
you'll need to track the 2003-4 season.
Superstars of the NFL
by: Phil Barber (Bargain, November 2001)
They come in many shapes and sizes. They can be as compact as Emmitt Smith or as
gargantuan as Tony Boselli. They can be as young as Peyton Manning and Randy
Moss or as experienced as Morten Andersen. But as diverse as they otherwise
might be, they all posses the determination and talent necessary to qualify for
membership in one of sport's most select fraternities: the Superstars of the
NFL.
DK NFL Readers: Super Bowl Heroes
by: James Buckley (DK Publishing, September 2000)
Meet the stars and relive their finest moments in the sports world's greatest
event, the Super Bowl.
On the Field With Terrell Davis
by: Matt Christopher (Little Brown and Co., April 2000)
Ages 8 to 12
A biography of the Denver Broncos running back who helped his team to two
consecutive Super Bowl titles in 1998 and 1999.
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Team That Couldn't Lose
by: Matt Christopher Little Brown and Co., (Reprint edition October 1997)
Ages 8 to 12
A young, inexperienced football team discovers its beginner's luck is due to a
series of mysterious but successful plays anonymously sent to the coach.
NFL: Play Football!
by: Tim Polzer, Dorling Kindersley Publishing (Dorling Kindersley Publishing,
August 2002)
Ages 9 to 12
This how-to book of football skills features easy-to-follow, accessible
information about playing America's favorite game.
Freddy Plays Football
by: Walter R. Brooks, Kurt Wiese (Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2002)
Ages 9 to 12
When the Centerboro High School football coach mistakes Freddy for a player and
sends him out on the field, not even the school board can find anything in the
rule book about keeping pigs from playing football-as long as they go to school.
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By My Brother's Side
by: Tiki Barber, Ronde Barber (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books,
September 2004)
Ages 9 to 12
Based on the childhood of National Football League superstars Ronde and Tiki
Barber, this inspiring book about the values of family, hard work, and
determination is the story of what it takes to be a champion.
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No More Dead Dogs
by: Gordon Korman (Hyperion Press, September 2000)
Ages 12 and up
Summary: Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention
attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes
wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not only
the play but his life as well.
Second Stringer
by: Thomas J. Dygard (HarperCollins, September 1998)
Ages 12 and up
In the opening game of the season, star quarterback Rob Montgomery is injured
and second stringer Kevin Taylor must take command of his high school team. The
novel then follows Kevin through each game as he overcomes his lack of
confidence, earns the respect of his teammates, and becomes friends with Rob.
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Yes I Can!: Struggles from Childhood to the NFL
by: Neil Smith, Brad Hamann (Addax Publishing Group, Inc., December 1998)
Ages 12 and up
In his autobiography for kids, Yes I Can! Neil Smith presents a deeply personal
self-portrait of his childhood struggle with dyslexia. Yes I Can! is a special
book, written by a world-class athlete who has not forgotten the pain of growing
up with a disability and who comes through as a person deeply concerned with his
fellow human beings.