Football ABC

by Mark Weakland

When it comes to football, A is for Action, of course! Each letter in this football-themed alphabet book presents a fun look at a different football term. With a subject like football, Football ABC is a sure to be a winner.

Genres: Picture Books, Sports, Nonfiction, Childrens

20 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

While earning a degree in the sciences, author/educator/musician Mark Weakland played drums and percussion with scores of Pittsburgh-based bands. He then went on to earn multiple teacher certifications and a master’s degree in education.

Mark expresses his creative side through music and writing. He is the author of eighteen non-fiction children’s books. Upcoming books, written as collaborations between Warner Brothers, Sports Illustrated Kids, and Capstone Press, include a set of Scooby-Doo (and mathematics) books, a set of Wile E. Coyote (and physics) books, and a set of hockey (shapes and patterns) books.

Other kid projects include an award-winning audio book, a poetry collection, and Jack Attack, his first YA novel. Mark’s books have received outstanding reviews from Booklist and Library Media Connection and won multiple awards, such as the 2012 Green Award for Sustainable Children’s Literature and the 2011 Eureka Nonfiction Children’s Book Award.

His academic book for teachers and administrators, Super Core! Supercharging Your Basal Reading Program with More Reading, Writing, and Word Work, will be published by the International Reading Association in January of 2014.

As a musician and songwriter, Mark has written and recorded music for both kids and grown-ups. His songs have won Parents' Choice and Children's Web awards and finished as finalists in The John Lennon Songwriting and USA Songwriting contests. Performing on drums, guitar, and vocals, Mark still records and plays with various artists and bands in Western Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Cheryl Gladfelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly enjoyable football alphabet book. Carl enjoyed the bright colors and pictures.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is probably great for tipping the ABC genre toward boys--getting them to pick it up and see the alphabet paired with action photos in full color. And it's a pretty good book idea, involving specialized football vocabulary as well as the alphabet. But it felt postmodern in a weird way to see an ABC book illustrated with pro and college football. I had to finish reading it just to see how Weakland handled all the letters! Not bad. All the photos are really recent, too.

I'd like to see this as an ebook because it just begs for app-like 'updates'. It would be more engaging to go to each page and be able to scroll through several recent images. For example, what if you could go to the "K" page, see the words about kicking, and then click an icon for a team to see recent kicking photos from that team? People usually have favorite teams. And while Weakland did an excellent job at representing a LOT of variety in teams, leagues, and pro/college, the boy reader will want to see MORE images of his favorite team.

I found out by talking to a Eric Gohl at Capstone a few months ago that these series are produced in collaboration with Sports Illustrated so SI gets the branding and Capstone gets access to the deep photo stock. This kind of access could make for a beautiful ebook setup!

This is also the exact kind of book that augmented reality is ready for for. To put your ipad or phone over the W page of the wide receiver and see a small video pop out of the page would be an engaging experience!

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Football fever strikes even the youngest fans and readers. “Football ABC” scores a touchdown with colorful, action-packed photographs and a fresh vocabulary. For example, “H” is for “Half-time,” and features a marching band! A fumble is clearly defined for “F.” And when we reach the end “Zone” for “Z,” we’ve also reached the end of the book.

Sports Illustrated Kids knows its audience and the result is engaging, interesting, and fun! Intended for pre-readers, older children will still be drawn to the action. Fans will scrutinize each page for their favorite teams. The slim volume also includes an index. glossary, and a list of suggested web sites and books for further exploration. Add this tile to your must-have list for purchase for public and elementary school libraries.

[Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually learned something from this. I don't know whether that's good or bad.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay, the Browns are in for "M" (mascot), and I knew Peyton would be "Q" (quarterback)

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the letters are total copouts (x and z), but it's cute.