Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More

by Jack Prelutsky, Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

Exhilarating, all-new, kid-friendly rhymes capture the range of emotions, from winning to losing to the sheer joy of participating, that children experience as they discover the games of their choice. Jack Prelutsky, a virtuoso at making poetry fun for the elementary school crowd, includes in this inspired collection poems about baseball, soccer, football, skating, swimming, gymnastics, basketball, karate, and more. His signature lighthearted humor in verse that trips off the tongue is coupled here with the 2006 Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka's lickety-split, stylized (and stylish) watercolors. Every page is a blaze of color and motion. Whether Good Sports will create good sports remains to be seen, but it will prove to young boys (and girls) that reading poetry can be fun.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Sports, Childrens, Nonfiction, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2006

About the author

Jack Prelutsky is an American poet. He attended New York public schools, and later the High School of Music and Art and Hunter College. Prelutsky, who has also worked as a busboy, furniture mover, folk singer, and cab driver, claims that he hated poetry in grade school because of the way it was taught. He is the author of more than 30 poetry collections including Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep< and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. He has also compiled countless children's anthologies comprised of poems of others'. Jack Prelutsky was married to Von Tre Venefue, a woman he had met in France. They divorced in 1995, but Jack remarried. He currently lives in Washington state with his wife, Carolyn. He befriended a gay poet named Espiritu Salamanca in 1997 and both now work together in writing poems and stories for children and adults alike.

Reviews

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More by Jack Prelutsky is a humorous collection of poems for the young competitive minded, sporty readers. Baseball, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, swimming, football and frisbee are just some of the sports that are described in rhyming prose. This book is a great selection to use when teaching aspects of poetry because the writing is catchy and the topics are relatable for most children.

[Maggie DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like running, jumping, throwing, and playing? If so, then Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky’s book of poems, Good Sports, is perfect for you! These catchy, rhyming poems that are all about how it feels to play different sports including baseball, football, soccer, and even gymnastics, ice skating, and frisbee, are entertaining, easy to read, and excitingly descriptive. The illustrator’s style is quite unique; Chris Raschka uses watercolors as his choice of media to make the pictures blend together and establish the action of playing these different sports. This book would be great for a read aloud because the rhythm and rhyme scheme are satisfying and engaging.

[Jessica Sheaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Raschka won the Caldecott Medal in 2006 for his illustrations in, The Hello, Good-bye Window. Raschka also won Caldecott Honors for his illustrations in, Yo! Yes?, Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, and Five for a Little One. In the book, Good Sports, Chris Raschka used vibrant watercolors in stark contrast with each page’s crisp, white background. Raschka used layers of color, giving the images depth and texture, much like a collage would create. The subjects are painted in the abstract. The illustrations move fluidly across the pages and compliment the action-packed, emotional verses written in the first person. For example, Prelutsky’s phrase, “The goal keeper lunges,” is paired with an image of a player stretched like taffy in an arc across two pages.

The poems in, Good Sports, were written by award-winning poet Jack Prelutsky, who was named the nation’s first children’s poet laureate in 2006. Prelutsky has written over forty, award-winning books of poems as well as eleven poetry anthologies. This book, Good Sports, is a perfect way for second and third-grade readers to read and recite poetry that is at their reading level both in decodability and content. Good Sports, is a compilation of poems about all kinds of sports like soccer, gymnastics, track, and ice-skating. The author does seem to have a preference for two sports (baseball and basketball), as they are the subjects of several poems in this book. In, Good Sports, Prelutsky makes an interesting choice not to include titles for his poems. This made me work harder to determine the subject matter. I had to pay close attention to the details of the poems and illustrations. This would be a good challenge for young readers, and perhaps they could be encouraged to create their own titles for the poems. This would be fun for them and also an effective way for teachers or parents to assess the reader’s understanding of the poems.

[Megumi Shavers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poems falls under the category of poetry. It is for children in the age group of P. The author is considered America's first children's poet laureate. This book was considered an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book of 2008. This book had seventeen poems about different sports. The poems described the experiences and emotions of the child as he participates in the sports. The theme is in this book is determination. Regardless if you win or lose as long as you tried your best thats all that matters. The book uses rhythm, punning, and rhyme scheme. I really didn't like the illustrations, for some reason it didn't really capture my attention. Language was definitely perfect for this book. The author used words that could add to the children's vocabulary. He also used terms that are used in sports.I like this book because the poems were about something I thought kids could get excited about and relate to. Children who play sports would love this book. Poetry can be boring at a young age, but the author wrote this book especially for those kids who do have an interest in sports. As a teacher I would ask the students whats their favorite thing to do and write a short poem about it or draw a picture.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything by Jack Prelutsky is fabulous! He is this generation's Shel Silverstein. Some of his poems would work well for playlettes.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it because it was dedicated to my grandma.

[TriciaDea_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed a book of poetry for a challenge I'm part of... I could have chosen any book that features poetry... not necessarily a book of poetry. I'm a former educator who's taught grades pre-k through 4th. I remembered all those years ago how much my classes and I loved the poetry of both Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. So, going way back to my educational roots, I opted for a short book of children's poetry. Oh how this bought back memories for me. The fun of words in rhyme. The sweet simplicity of the words written to appeal to an innocent and pure mind - long before the world can interfere. For few minutes, I was a kid again. I'm so glad I opted for a children's book for this reading prompt in my challenge. Who says grown-ups have to read grown-up books? Thanks Mr. Prelutsky for making me smile today.

[Ella Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: Good Sports is a book that uses sports to show rhyming patterns. This book uses sports and activities to use lots of good verbs and rhyming words.
Response: I would use this book in my classroom. Not only does it have great academic purposes, but it also encourages kids to get into athletics. Athletics is so important, especially at an early age. It is a good thing to encourage kids to try a new sport.
How to use it: This book would most likely reside in my class library. However, if I were to use it in a lesson, I would give kids an opportunity to research a sport that they are interested in. They could then either write about it or share it with the class.

[Wendy Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. I loved how the authors described sports or activities all children might partake in. Additionally they described how it felt to win and succeed and loose and fail. This is important for kids to understand because some do not accept failure. The pictures look like children paintings where they can interpret them themselves.

Grade level: K-3
Genre: Poetry

[Marilyn Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry
K-2nd grade reading level
I really enjoyed this book because I love sports. The little poems were all really good, and I think than it could connect very well with children who love sports or who even just love to play. I thought that the drawings in this book were super cool! They were almost like little kids drew them since they were kind of abstract.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I love Prelutsky's poetry and how it resonates with children, but I absolutely adore it when it's accompanied by Raschka's illustrations! With poems about baseball and soccer to frisbee and karate, and any sport in between, Prelutsky's got a poem for your little sports enthusiast. These poems strike a terrific balance of real sports experiences that children have and humor!

[Kelly Wickham · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read this book with all the kids and they never seem very interested. They all zone out because it is actually very boring. They are snappy little rhymes about sports but really hard to relate to or understand for little kids. This is not a fun or enticing book and does not hold the attention or interest of young kids. I am happy to donate it.

[Katy Kahlich]

This book shows students multiple activities they can do when they want to get exercise and also shows students where the appropriate place is to do these activities. It is a very good book for read aloud to the class room because students will have the enjoyment to learn about all sports, activities, and the book rhymes!

[Emily Sefcheck · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st-3rd grade
Genre: Poetry

This poetry book would be good for the younger grades. There is a variety of sports that is examined and the poems are short and catchy. This would be another great resource!

[Hannah Dull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: poetry
Grade level: 1-4

This shared a variety of sports in a cool way. It also had great examples of rhyme and rhythm. Another part I liked about it was the fact that good sportsmanship was talked about. This could be a great teaching moment. The illustrations were unique, which I enjoyed.

[Stacey Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and fun for kids that like sports!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better for older kids as the littles don't have the life experience to know what the rhymes are about

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 9yo and 6yo really liked this—it’s a collection of short poems about sports with really colorful drawings, and many of the poems or drawings are kind of silly.

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 not Jack's best, plus the illustrations were weak. Read it on an online app though my rating should reflect that

[Mackenzie Navarrete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Date: 10/10/23
Genre: Poetry
Level: K-2nd
Review: These poems in Good Sports are adorable and I loved it. They’re all about sports and having fun outside. I grew up playing team sports and playing with my sisters or dads outside. It reminded me of those times with my family. I’d recommend this book to any child who loves sports!

[Terrance Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good sports, is a very enjoyable book of poems, each illustrating a different type of sports, in each set of pages. Speaking of illustrations, the book uses colorful and simple illustrations to visually connect each poem to the sport the poem is covering. The design is nice and very simple showcasing the fact that the book is geared toward children, whom I believe would enjoy them very much. The poems are a delight to read, with each poem following a set rhythm that rolls off the tongue and make each line more enjoyable to read; I found myself rereading some of them just for fun. This book is a very good book for kids to read aloud, the rhythm and rhyme of the poems are very enjoyable to read and will garner a smile for people of all ages to read.

[Sweet on Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son absolutely loves books that involve sports so I’m always looking for really good ones. I scour the bookstores for anything to break up the monotony of the “play by play” that is so often the formula in this genre, so when I saw this book by Jack Prelutsky, I thought, “what a find.” I was thrilled to be able to offer my son a book that combined sports AND poetry – and in a fun and accessible format. Each two-page spread depicts a short poem and zippy illustration to highlight another sport. Sometimes the players strike out or a game is lost but there is always a positive thought before you turn the page. There’s a feeling of hope and promise throughout, as readers are left thinking that they’ll get them the next time, score for a comeback, hit better, reach further and run faster.

This book will appeal to all ages and all interests, as Prelutsky covers a nice variety of sports including gymnastics, swimming and running. There are not a lot of words on each page, but a few, like epitome and zephyr, may be challenging to some readers. The rhymes are thoughtful, engaging and lively and will definitely hold yours and your reader’s interests. The illustrations, done in watercolor and ink, perfectly complement the mini story told in each spread. The players are somewhat abstract but still expressive and meaningful. I think that their stories portray the beauty of trying out different activities to see what works best for each individual.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Prelutsky, an award winning writer and prolific poet, has written over 50 collections of poetry. Good Sports is an entertaining collection of poems, which celebrate sports and being “good sports”. The poems are about doing sports such as baseball, soccer, basketball, football but they are also about running, jumping, throwing a frisbee and being active. Many of the poems are written in first person as children are engaged in the activity. They are not about winning but are about playing hard, playing well, trying to do your best, maybe losing but most of all having fun. The poems are short and written in simple rhyming quatrain verse.

She runs and tries to catch it,
And I watch her miss and fall –
We both like playing Frisbee,
Though we aren’t good at all.

The poems reflect the love and enjoyment of playing sports and provide interesting and imaginative perspectives from the participants.

Each poem is accompanied by water color paintings done by Chris Raschka, a well-known and award winning illustrator. The water color strokes of the paintings move across and fill the pages, very effectively capturing the movements and intensity of the sporting events.
For more fun poems and goofy antics check out the website http://www.jackprelutsky.com/

[Laura Driskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2006 Caldecott Medal winner is a great poetry books that has rhymes about running, jumping, throwing. Poems about different sports and the movements that go along with that particular sport. There is Baseball, soccer, football, skating, swimming, gymnastics, basketball, karate, and many other sports. The watercolor illustrations easy display the sport, and go along with the text. The layering effect of the water colors make the illustrations pop out from the white background. My favorite is the football poem because the illustrations take up both pages and the poem is great way to show students you can make a poem about anything. Since there is not titles to the poems, the reader must look at the illustration and keywords to figure out what sport Prelutsky is talking about.
Most students are in some type of sport, or at least a fan of a sport so this book allows the student to read and get examples of how they can write their own poems about their favorite sport. These poems are humorous, and use great vocabulary and descriptive words. What I like most about this is the focus on doing ones bests and inspiring to reach a higher goal. I would recommend this for 3-4 grade class when studying poetry.

[Toneeshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Sports is a poetry book for primary aged children. It is a 2008 A.L.A. Notable Children's Book. Good Sports describes different sports including basketball, soccer, and gymnastics. I feel this book deserves five stars because the book is just so appealing. The illustrations are the most appealing aspect of the book. The art is genuine with obvious paint strokes along with other painting techniques, it appears the illustrator used a sponge and maybe a stamp to add to the illustrations giving it greater texture. He also used bright abstract colors. The theme, obviously is sports and is evident with the different sports that are written about as well as how it feels to win and lose but also how fun it is to play sports. The poem is narrative poem that alternates in which lines rhyme. I believe that children would find Good Sports appealing because of the subject matter and the illustrations, reading Good Sports was the first time I encountered illustrations such as these in a children's book. As a professional working with children, I would have the children write about and draw a picture of a sport they enjoy playing or a sport they would like to play and why.

[Ginta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not like sports but I liked “Good Sports” by Jack Prelutsky. Prelutsky uses rhyme to describe various sports activities – gymnastics, swimming, basketball to name a few.

Prelutsky humorously uses rhyme throughout the book. The rhyme has a musical quality that makes the reading easy and fun. Prelutsky writes, “Though I like to swim I don’t swim very well. I swim like a fish that’s been sick for a spell. I flop in the pool, and I flounder around my friends laugh and say I should stay on the ground.”

Prelutsky also makes good use of imagery in the book. For example, “I’m waiting here in center field, and getting really bored. For no one hits a thing to me, I feel a bit ignored. Then suddenly a high fly ball comes heading straight my way. I barely catch it in my glove once more I’ve saved the day.” In my mind I can picture a child catching that ball in their hand.

My rating for this book is five stars. I read this book to my students and they loved it. This is an excellent book to read with primary students. As I stated above, I do not like sports but I enjoyed reading this book. This one is a must-read.

[Paige Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because it was given a Poetry Foundation award, but I honestly did not like it very much. I thought the poems had a negative tone within them that just kept showing children failing at the activity they were playing. I'm sure it was to make it seem humorous but I think it is indirectly suggesting that teasing others is socially appropriate. The watercolor illustrations were very abstract and were distracting from the text. The poems themselves were all written in the same form and they did not have a lot of discrepancy from sport to sport. I would use this in my classroom as an example of how to create an illustration that frames a picture. I would let them choose one of the poems from this piece and allow them to copy it on paper and then illustrate the poem with watercolors just as Chris Raschka does. We would then create our own class book using this as a mentoring text through means of stanza lines and creating clear pictures.

[Leslie Kress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Sports by Jack Prelutsky is an engaging book about sports poems. Each poem is about a sport and Prelutsky’s poems range from basketball to Frisbee to skating. The children in the poem are upbeat and having fun. It is clear they are not always good at the sport they are playing, but they are happy and determined, which sends a great message to children. I like that the poems are fun, but there are also some good vocabulary words such as epitome and asteroid. The water-colored illustrations are colorful and childlike. I would definitely recommend this book because I think it has the potential to really get children interested in poetry. Children who like sports, but have never really given poetry a try are likely to be pleasantly surprised. I might use this book to teach vocabulary, visualizing, or verbs.

[Susan Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry book jumped out at me because of its title, creative cover illustrations, and well-known children's poetry author. As today's children are often pressured to play as many sports as possible, I love this book's message of trying different things, focusing on the positive, and having a good time. I think it is great that the poetry in this book showcases trying many types of sports and sometimes there will be success, and other times you will find that a particular sport is just not a good fit for you. The story reinforces the importance of finding a sport that you enjoy and being able to laugh at yourself when you find you are not the most graceful player or participant. Prelutsky reminds the reader that no one in this world is perfect at everything they try but everyone can put their best foot forward and keep pushing themselves to try new things.

[Bernice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the watercolored illustrations in this book. As I read each poem, I cherished the small simplistic illustrations that gave this book a fun feeling! Each page of this book, celebrates a sport and the experiences of a child playing it. Whether it goes the right way or not, each message gives off a positive sportsmanship point of view. Each poem is fun-loving and often uses metaphors in its writing. I loved one particular poem about a child's experience learning how to swim. He or she says, "It takes me forever to cross the pool once. When it comes to swimming, I'm clearly a dunce, But still i enjoy it and happily think I don't do so badly..at least I don't sink!" If only we could have such a positive outlook on life! :)