The Great Ball Game

A classic folktale with roots in the traditional stories of many Indigenous peoples in North America, The Great Ball Game is adapted for today's kids by Rebecca Sheir, host of the award-winning Circle Round podcast. The stunning art of Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, an Ojibwe woodland artist, along with creative activities, make this an engaging picture book that also fosters storytelling and promotes the values of diversity, acceptance, and understanding of others.

Bat, who has both wings and teeth, plays an important part in a game between the Birds and the Animals to decide which group is better.

The Precolumbian ballgame, played on a masonry court, has long intrigued scholars because of the magnificence of its archaeological remains. From its lowland Maya origins it spread throughout the Aztec empire, where the game was so popular that sixteen thousand rubber balls were imported annually into Tenochtitlan. It endured for two thousand years, spreading as far as to what is now southern Arizona. This new collection of essays brings together research from field archaeology, mythology, and Maya hieroglyphic studies to illuminate this important yet puzzling aspect of Native American culture. The authors demonstrate that the game was more than a spectator sport; serving social, political, mythological, and cosmological functions, it celebrated both fertility and the afterlife, war and peace, and became an evolving institution functioning in part to resolve conflict within and between groups. The contributors provide complete coverage of the archaeological, sociopolitical, iconographic, and ideological aspects of the game, and offer new information on the distribution of ballcourts, new interpretations of mural art, and newly perceived relations of the game with material in the Popol Vuh. With its scholarly attention to a subject that will fascinate even general readers, The Mesoamerican Ballgame is a major contribution to the study of the mental life and outlook of New World peoples.

Rip and Red are best friends whose fifth-grade year is nothing like what they expected. They have a crazy new tattooed teacher named Mr. Acevedo, who doesn't believe in tests or homework and who likes off-the-wall projects, the more "off" the better. They also find themselves with a new basketball coach: Mr. Acevedo! Easy-going Rip is knocked completely out of his comfort zone. And for Red, who has autism and really needs things to be exactly a certain way, the changes are even more of a struggle. But together these two make a great duo who know how to help each other—and find ways to make a difference—in the classroom and on the court. With its energetic and authentic story and artwork, this is a fresh, fun book about school, sports, and friendship. This title has Common Core connections.

Get out the peanuts and Cracker Jacks and get ready for fun with America's national sport. The unofficial anthem of baseball has never looked better than it does in this joyful board book. A sweet, boardbook introduction to the baseball diamond. Colorful, collage-like illustrations are a kid's ticket into "Sluggers Stadium," where two animal teams step up to the plate and vie for victory--all cheered on by Katie Casey, the baseball-loving cat. And what a game it is! Giraffe winds up at the pitcher's mound, hoping for a strikeout. But, with a thwack, ball meets bat, and Crocodile is off and running. Can Tiger tag him out at first? He'd better, because Elephant's up next and that will cause a commotion.

It makes sense: Kids, balls, bouncing, laughter, and fun all go together. And in Having a Ball: Stability Ball Games, author John Byl shows you how to get kids bouncing, laughing, moving, and having great fun--all as they improve their fitness skills. Having a Ball features -73 stability ball games, with variations, that teach balance and coordination; -a great variety of challenges, races, relays, and team games for all participants; -a game finder that helps you quickly find the right activity for your group; and -games that work for youth in fitness centers, schools, park departments--wherever it is you work with kids. The book is organized into seven chapters based on the nature of the activities and the number of players involved. There are games for partners working together to complete a challenge; for individuals, pairs, or groups to complete tasks as quickly as possible; and relays involving teams of three or four players each. There are also chase games, games for larger groups, and activities that pit two teams against each other. Each game lists an objective and notes the equipment, number of players, and setup required. Instructions take you sequentially through explaining the game to your players. The games come with variations, and you and your players are encouraged to add to those variations to make the games work best for your particular situation. Whether you're using these games in a fitness center, recreation program, or school, they'll be a hit with kids because the games are a blast--and using nontraditional equipment helps to level the playing field so everyone gets to participate equally.

On deck and ready for your reading lineup, New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies’s ode to “batty” baseball fans. You think humans are the only ones who enjoy America’s national pastime? Grab your bat—the other kind—and your mitt, because it’s a whole new ballgame when evening falls and bats come fluttering from the rafters to watch their all-stars compete. Get set to be transported to the right-side-up and upside-down world of bats at play, as imagined and illustrated by bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies. Hurry up! Come one—come all! We’re off to watch the bats play ball!

If your child is a sport-loving little person, he/she would find this book of ball games highly appealing! This book effectively cultivates a love for learning because it is very visual. There isn't a lot of reading to do, so it's great for non-readers too! The best thing about picture books is they speak the universal language of images so they're easy to understand. Order a copy today!