Best Book of Gymnastics »

Christine Morley is a freelance writer and editor with fifteen years' experience in publishing. Her titles include the Me and My Pet series and Totally Weird: Spiders.

From bull-leaping in ancient Crete to modern Olympic competition, gymnastics has been one of the most popular sports for thousands of years. This new Best Book covers everything from the sport's history to how to prepare for gymnastic activities and how to use gym equipment, including trampolines, the uneven bars, and horses. Aspiring young athletes will also find essential information on related concepts such as teamwork, developing balance, and insight into how gymnastic events are judged.

Nancy T. Braverman - Children's Literature

Did you know that the sport of gymnastics dates back to the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Greeks? This book covers the definition and history of gymnastics, gymnastic equipment, activities, and events. While this book will be helpful as an overview of gymnastics, it is a simple introduction at best. A broad range of information is introduced, but no topic is covered in detail. The most in depth information is presented as captions to the drawings. In spite of the simplicity of the text (that younger readers may benefit from), this book will fly off the shelf simply because of the popularity of the subject and the numerous illustrations. However, for a more thorough overview of the sport, another publication would be a better choice. For ease of use, a table of contents, glossary, and index are included. 2003, Kingfisher/Houghton Mifflin Company, Ages 7 to 11.