Gymnastics

Children's Literature

This 64-page guide to the history, development, competition regulations and competitors of modern day gymnastics is part of a "Composite Guide" series that features a wide variety of sports, such as auto racing, bodybuilding, hockey, football and tennis. In this volume the history of gymnastics is reviewed, as is the growth of its popularity. Specific events are examined, both from a historical perspective and from a modern "how-to" point of view. Athletes who have become famous because of their stellar performances are mentioned here—both in terms of what gymnastics has done for the individuals and what the individual stars have done for their sport. The final chapter peers into the future of gymnastics by profiling several up and coming gymnastic stars. This is a good source of information for young researchers and report writers. A glossary, index and lists of both print resources and Internet resources are appended. Additionally, fans and young athletes who want to know more about the sport they love will find well-written and thorough coverage of the topic here. 2000, Chelsea House/Haights Cross Communications, $16.95 and $7.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Judy Katsh

VOYA

To help fill the insatiable thirst for sports information books, here are two series for young teens —Play-by-Play from Lerner and The Composite Guide from Chelsea House. An update of the Fundamental Sports series of the early 1990s, Play-by-Play books offer sports enthusiasts sequential photographs illustrating basic techniques and maneuvers. Each brief paperback book is illustrated profusely with young athletes in action. Sidebars provide snippets of information about coaching, competition, and safety. Play-by-Play Gymnastics touches upon the history of the sport and then immediately tumbles into the fast moving routines of today's powerful gymnasts. Diagrams and dimensions of apparatus, differences between boys' and girls' events, correct body position, terminology, and even what to wear are highlighted through profuse color photographs and easy-to-read text. Other titles in the series include Mountain Biking, Soccer, Hockey, Baseball, and Softball. The Composite Guide series offers a more well-rounded look at each sport. Every book is filled with many black-and-white photos and clean, easy-to-read pages and includes a chronology of the sport. The Composite Guide to Gymnastics begins with an overview of the 1996 Olympics and the spirit of injured Kerri Strug. The sport itself is then highlighted dating from ancient Crete, where participants would grab a charging bull by the horns and leap over it, to current four-time national champion, Blaine Wilson. The women of gymnastics, Olga Korbut in 1972, Nadia Comaneci in 1976, and Mary Lou Retton in 1984, are credited with turning this sport, created by men, into the international phenomenon it is today. Among the twenty other books inthis series are Body Building, Field Hockey, Volleyball, and Extreme Sports. Both series are easy to read and well illustrated. Play-by-Play is more a how-to series, whereas the Composite Guides offers an informative look backward. Books in both series will be surefire hits with sports enthusiasts. Glossary. Index. Photos. Chronology. VOYA CODES:4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses;Broad general YA appeal;Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8;Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Chelsea House, 64p. PLB $16.95. Ages 11 to 15. Reviewer:Marian Rafal—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)