To follow up on my last blog post about how to win at the breastfeeding olympics, I wanted to branch out and provide some fun books to read together that lean into the olympic spirit!  (I’m a librarian and a mama, so I come by my book recommendation posts honestly!)

Max and Marla by Alexandra Boiger.  This book is PERFECT for the aspiring bobsledder and luge sledder (though as a mama, I have to say, please don’t make the skeleton your sport of choice, children!  YIKES!).  The best part is that while the brother-sister protagonists (ShibSibs anyone?!) learn what it means to be an Olympic athlete, they learn friendship is the most important thing of all.  Aww!

Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda.  My daughter begs for this book all the time, and I know why: it’s so fun and interactive!  This is one of those books where not only is it about movement (in this case, downhill on a ski slope) but it also invites active participation from the reader to tilt and spin the book to help the little bunny protagonist get all the way down to the bottom where a cup of hot cocoa awaits with his mama.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Mice Skating by Annie Silvestro.  Another bedtime favorite in our house, Mice Skating is arguably the best book about skating ever, because this book has everything: cute mice, figure skating, friendship, and CHEESE PUNS.  Yes, this is probably the only book that combines the elements of figure skating and cheese, and it is sharp.  You’ll se Brie-visimo for this title for sure!

Goodnight, Hockey Fans by Andrew Larson.  A bedtime book for little hockey fans, what could be better?  Honestly, I can’t tell you, since hockey is a mysterious sport to me, but if it’s up your alley, then I don’t think you could go wrong with this one.

Dream Big, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi.  This book has everything: a cute pig protagonist named Poppy, figure skating, big dreams, and KRISTI YAMAGUCHI as its author!  And as a bonus, it’s not even her only children’s book featuring figure skating.  Meet It’s a Big World, Little Pig! and Cara’s Kindness, two more books penned by Yamaguchi for children.

I think we can all agree that reading stories to our kids about all the things they might pursue and be in life is so fun.  Are all of our kids going to go on to become Olympic athletes?  No, of course not.  But like Kristi Yamaguchi tells us, it’s good to dream big.  And who knows — maybe the dreams our children dream will be the dreams we never imagined or wanted (no seriously, I don’t want my child growing up to be on the skeleton Olympic team, that looks dangerous as hell, and ditto for bobsledding if you’re reading this, child!).  But our job isn’t to fit them into only the boxes we can imagine — it’s to guide them towards dreaming of the boxes we can’t.