Water Sports

Children's Literature

Eight extreme water sports are introduced in this short informational book. Readers will learn about surfing, windsurfing, kite boarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, white water kayaking, sea kayaking, and jet skiing. Because there are so many water sports worthy of the title "extreme," there is only a short description of each with an accompanying color photograph. The brief summaries may be frustrating to some water sport enthusiasts, but to the novice, they provide just the right amount of intrigue. The oldest water sport mentioned is surfing. It is over two hundred years old, dating back to when English explorers observed Hawaiian natives riding the waves. Two water sports, windsurfing and kayaking, are part of the Summer Olympics. Kite boarding requires lessons for everyone, despite the participant's water savvy. A kite with long lines is attached to a waist harness. The person must steer the kite, which is attached with lines to his or her waist harness, while balancing on the board upon the water. Each sport summary has advice for the beginner and guidelines for safety. However, the information presented should not be considered a step by-step-guide, but as a general overview. There is a glossary at the end of the book defining those words in bold print scattered throughout its text. A resource guide and index are included as well. This book is part of the "Extreme Sports" series. 2004, Gareth Stevens Publishing, Ages 6 to 10.
—Andrea Sears Andrews