My kids love playing with balls in the backyard and reading books about them too! In fact, I realized that my 5 year old son gravitates towards any book about balls when we are at the library. He seems to enjoy reading them, so we will keep checking them out. Connecting your child’s personal interests with the books they read is one way to get and keep them excited about reading. Here are some of the best books about balls!
Consider adding a few ball books to your home or school library this year! Pair a ball book (or two) with the related ball for a great learning gift for any child! Plus you can have fun with these 6 Ball Games Your Kids Will Love to Play!
*** Note: I am a K-12 Reading Master, Certified Teacher. I have read all of these books personally with and to my kids ( I even own a bunch of them too). Always read the reviews and age recommendations of the books to see if they will be a good fit for your child. These are just a few ball books that we have enjoyed. If we have missed your favorite – let me know in the comments at the end of this post. Remember, you know your child best! ***
Best Early Reader Ball Books for Kids to Read
Children first learning to read may often be steered into the level 1, beginning reader books. These books are often found int he early reader section of the library. The books are short in length with simple sentences and strong picture clues. They are often repetitive in nature with words that can be decoded or sounded out.
Be mindful that these books are not for the earliest readers to read independently as they are designed more for the reader with a firm grasp of sounds and how they fit together to make words. Try the butterfly beginner books out with your child. If your child is sounding out or struggling with more than 3 words on a page, the book is more than likely at their frustration level. Read the book to them a few times. Point out the pictures and match them to the words on the page. As they become comfortable with the story, encourage them to read a page or part of the book with you.
Level 1 / Beginning Reader Ball Books:
Let’s Play Soccer, Soccer Game, Play T-Ball, Daniel Plays, Pete the Cat Play Ball, and Biscuit Plays Ball are all simple books for young readers in the age ranges of 4-7 years old.
DK Readers L1: Let’s Play Soccer
Scholastic Reader Level 1: Soccer Game!
The Berenstain Bears Play T-Ball (I Can Read Book 1)
Daniel Plays Ball (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood)
Pete the Cat: Play Ball! (My First I Can Read)
Biscuit Plays Ball (My First I Can Read)
Eloise at the Ball Game
Time for T-ball (After-School Sports Club)
Level 2 / 3 Reader Ball Books:
Flat Stanley at Bat, Kick, Pass, and Run, and Play Ball, Amelia Bedilia are geared for children in kindergarten through third grade who have mastered basic sight words and are able to decode short and long vowels words. The level 2 and 3 readers have slightly longer sentences, more text per page, and more difficult vocabulary in comparison to level 1 readers.
Kick, Pass, and Run (I Can Read Book 2)
Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book 2)
Babe Ruth Saves Baseball! (Step into Reading 3)
Best Fiction Ball Books for Kids to Read
Whether the book is in prose, has your favorite character, or tells the story behind a favorite ball that goes missing (A Ball for Daisy), these ball picture books will sure delight your young reader. Read a few stories before bedtime and have sweet dreams of bouncing balls. Grab a few books and read them before you shoot some hoops. Have a day on the baseball field? Throw a few ball books into your bag and snuggle in to read between games!
Ball
Round Like a Ball
A Ball for Daisy (Caldecott Medal – Winner Title(s))
Dino-basketball (Carolrhoda Picture Books)
Goodnight Football (Fiction Picture Books) (Sports Illustrated Kids Bedtime Books)
Charlie Plays Ball (Charlie the Ranch Dog)
The Basket Ball
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Favorite Children’s Songs)
The Story of Red Rubber Ball
Best Ball Books for Kids with their Favorite Characters!
Spot Loves Sports
Froggy Plays T-ball
Elmo’s World: Balls! (Sesame Street) (Sesame Street(R) Elmos World(TM))
A Big Guy Took My Ball! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
Boomer Gets His Bounce Back (Disney Junior: Doc McStuffins) (Little Golden Book)
The Soccer Ball Mystery (Backyardigans, The)
Play Ball, Corduroy
Best Non-fiction Ball Books for Kids
For young children, these books may be best as a read aloud book with adults. To keep engagement high, consider reading a few pages at a time. Often, non-fiction books are PACKED with information and this can be overwhelming to some young children if they are unfamiliar with the terminology. Other kids soak up and request non-fiction books as it is a way they can find out more about the world.
My daughter really connected with Players in Pigtails and my son liked the basketball alphabet books!
Little Basketball (Little Sports)
Little Football (Little Sports)
Little Baseball (Little Sports)
J is for Jump Shot: A Basketball Alphabet (Sports Alphabet)
H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet (Sports Alphabet)
F is for Fenway Park: America’s Oldest Major League Ballpark (Sleeping Bear Alphabets)
Winners Never Quit!
My Basketball Book
Players In Pigtails
This Is My Ball/Esta Es Mi Pelota (Our Toys/Nuestros Juguetes)
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream
¡Beisbol!: Latino Baseball Pioneers and Legends
Tee Ball (Rookie Read-About Sports
Basketball (Rookie Read-About Sports
Soccer (Rookie Read-About Sports)
Connect your child’s personal interest with balls into other academic areas as well. Extend your ball themed learning with these real life math lessons for preschoolers.
Click here or the image to take you to the math activities!
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