The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Low, Alice

The Fastest Game on Two Feet and Other Poems About How Sports Began

40 pp. | Holiday | September, 2009 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8234-1905-0 $17.95

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. Twenty entertaining rhymes (preceded by brief introductions) provide glimpses into the history of many of the world's most popular sports, from swimming and soccer to skateboarding and surfing. Humorous textured watercolor and ink illustrations help convey the interesting, oddball origins of some of our favorite games (e.g., modern tenpin bowling began with a German religious ceremony absolving sins). Timeline.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute