The Library joins the City and the rest of the world in celebrating this year’s summer Olympics in Tokyo! We’ve rounded up books that explore our favorite Olympic sports, as well as a few biographies of beloved athletes who found historic success. Here are our picks for families with young children.

Sports are a rich part of many cultures. In Baptiste Paul’s The Field, (illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara) children form teams, build a pitch, and play a joyous game of soccer, in a book with English and Creole (as spoken in Saint Lucia) vocabulary words. In Aaron Meshon’s Take Me Out to the Yakyu, a little boy's grandfathers, one in America and one in Japan, teach him about baseball and its rich, varying cultural traditions.

Even Olympians have to start somewhere. In She’s Got This, (illustrated by Nina Mata) Laurie Hernandez tells the story of Zoe, a little girl who dreams of flying—and becoming a gymnast. As Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce becomes a runner, winning six Olympic and ten World Championship medals, she also learns what her grandmother meant when she called Shelly Ann "a promise." Read about it in Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Ashley Rosseau’s I am A Promise (illustrated by Rachel Moss). 

History-making athletes are born right here in New York CIty! Althea Gibson was the quickest, tallest, most fearless athlete in 1940s Harlem. When she put her mind to it, the fleet-of-foot girl reigned supreme at every sport, eventually becoming the first Black person to win a trophy at Wimbledon. Read about Althea in Megan Reid’s Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-of-Foot Girl. (illustrated by Laura Freeman). Though not as widely known as other basketball legends, hall-of-famer Elgin Baylor was one of the game's all-time greatest players—an innovative athlete, team player, and quiet force for change. Jen Bryant’s Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball (illustrated by illustrations by Frank Morrison) tells Elgin’s story. 

Megan Hoyt’s Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero (illustratedby Iacopo Bruno) tells us how a passion for sports can make someone a hero in more ways than one. Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. But Gino's greatest achievement was something he never told a soul—that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance during World War II, using his bicycle as the tool no authority would question. 

Finally, trying a new sport can be a little scary, especially for little ones! In a charming and relatable story, author-illustrator Hyewon Yum’s Saturday Is Swimming Day shows that sometimes a little bravery and a lot of patience are all you need to face your fear.

Whether you are Team USA or cheering on your favorite athlete from another country, even the littlest readers can get into the spirit with these books.