Book Review: Winners Never Quit

Author: Mia Hamm
Illustrated by Carol Thompson

Interest Level: K-3


About This Book: Mia's favorite sport is soccer but she hates losing. In fact, she dislikes it so much that she quits in the middle of a game. Upset about her attitude, her siblings do not let her participate the next day. Mia learns quickly that there will be times when she will score a goal and those when she will not, but playing the game is the most fun of all. Can Mia learn that being a team player is more important than whether you win or lose? The text represents the mixed feelings of all athletes learning the game. Parents or coaches wanting a story about the joy of playing soccer without emphasizing winning or losing will find an appropriate read-aloud here. Review from School Library Journal

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I'm amazed at the number of kids who don't even know what the word 'sportsmanship' means. Just another reason to add this one to your shelf. Whatever happened to - 'It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.' Sportsmanship can be a HUGE troublesome issue at my school. I have often seen competitiveness get the best of students.....yelling at each other, stomping away from a game, just generally becoming super disrespectful and caring more about winning than one another's feelings. We've taken this issue on at our school by posting the rules, modeling respect, and even drafting a Sports Constitution that all classes sign. Is this an issue at your school? Is your child struggling with sportsmanship? Winners Never Quit is a great example of poor vs. good sportsmanship. Children are highly engaged as I am reading and it opens up the conversation of how they can alter their behavior.  

PS. Way to go Mia Hamm! Thank you for using your celebratory in the right way. There are also pictures of Mia as a little girl playing soccer in the back of the book. Way cool.


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