Gr 3-6 – Though these books may look little, they’re packed with plenty of information. A short biography of each athlete is followed by their body statistics, as well as a description of their typical training routine and diet. Readers who know how hard professional athletes have to train to be the best won’t be surprised to see that Drew Brees never takes days off from his workouts. Tom Brady is so fanatical about his nutrition that he has a personal chef and has specific foods he never eats. Michael Phelps has a famously robust diet to be able to fuel his high-powered workouts. Female athletes like Lindsey Vonn, Serena Williams, and Simone Biles not only work hard but put up with harsh criticism of their bodies. Readers will be inspired to work as hard on their goals as their favorite athletes do on theirs.
VERDICT: A unique spin on the athlete biography. Worth the purchase.