Sports & Fitness: How to Use Your Body and Mind to Play and Feel Your Best

By: Therese Kauchak Maring
Illustrated by: Brenna Hansen
Publisher: American Girl
Publication Date: February 2018
ISBN: 978-1683370628
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: August 29, 2018

Young girls today are under tremendous pressure and things like what to wear, what to eat, what group or sport to join, are just a few of the decisions that add stress to their lives every day. With Sports & Fitness, a new addition to the "Smart Girl's Guide" series published by American Girl, youngsters gain an excellent resource to help them make the right choices.

This book speaks directly to young girls and aims to show them "...how to be the best athlete you can be, in both body and mind." As adults know, but young girls may not yet realize, to be good at sports, you must take care of your body. Thus, Sports & Fitness focuses many of its pages on taking care of one's body.

Six chapters divide the book into very readable sections - play power (discusses various benefits of sports participation), your body, power drills, your mind, brainpower skills and you & the team (team or solo sports, dealing with coaches, how to be a leader). The text is accompanied by an abundance of colorful illustrations, making this a very easy book to read. It also invites a reader to jump around to various topics to get the most benefit from the book. Important topics such as staying hydrated, how to warm up properly as well as dealing with bad behavior are covered, some lighthearted ideas are included (crafts to show school spirit), in addition to many more things that are needed to enjoy success both during sports participation as well as life in general. Without getting preachy, Sports & Fitness covers an array of topics that will help girls have the best experience possible in the world of sports.

Quill says: An excellent book for girls to help guide them through decisions related to not just sports but to all aspects of their lives.