Today is the opening day of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, where athletes with disabilities will gather from around the globe to compete in events like swimming, cycling, wheelchair basketball, goalball, judo, sitting volleyball, track & field, and more! Visit nbcolympics.com to see the Paralympic Games viewing schedule and where you can tune in to watch events. Visit paralympic.org for more information about the sports you’ll be seeing, including highlighted athletes from around the world. And check out these books to learn more about the Paralympic Games:
Lucas at the Paralympics by Igor Plohl. In this picture book, Lucas and Eddie, two physically disabled friends, visit the Paralympics and cheer on blind and physically challenged athletes as they compete in running, swimming, sitting volleyball, para archery, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair basketball, and more.
A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttman Created the Paralympic Games by Lori Alexander. Dedicating his life to helping patients labeled “incurables,” Ludwig Guttmann fought for the rights of paraplegics to live a full life. The young doctor believed–and eventually proved–that physical movement is key to healing, a discovery that led him to create the first Paralympic Games.
Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic World Champion by Jessica Long. Have you been seeing the Toyota commercials featuring swimmer Jessica Long? Check out her story in this inspirational photographic memoir.
What Are the Paralympic Games? by Gail Herman. From the popular Who/What Was/Is series, Author Gail Herman highlights Paralympic athletes, describes how these athletes train–both mentally and physically–for the games, and gives the reader a better understanding of what makes the Paralympic Games one of the world’s most viewed sporting events.
Zion Unmatched by Zion Clark. The book explores Zion’s journey from a childhood lost in the foster care system to his hard-fought rise as a high school wrestler to his current rigorous training to prepare as an elite athlete on the world stage.
