Awesome Stories of Generosity in Sports

by Brad Herzog

This collection of amazing true stories highlights generosity in sports. Readers will meet athletes including baseball player Roberto Clemente, who died while bringing aid to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake. Kids will see generosity in action through the work of Mobolaji Akiode, a former college basketball player in the United States who went on to form basketball camps for girls in her home nation of Nigeria. These twenty tales will inspire young readers and show the importance of generosity.

The Count on Sports series is a collection of dramatic tales of character in action, bringing together exciting sports history, real-life examples of sports and character building, and lively storytelling. Each book features twenty true stories of athletic challenge, triumph, and sometimes heartbreak. All the books explore a wide variety of sports, with historical and contemporary episodes featuring male and female athletes from around the world.

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Brad Herzog is the author of more than 50 books for readers of all ages. His children's books include two charmingly illustrated picture books about two of the most inspiring moments in championship sports history -- the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series triumph (MURPHY'S TICKET, Sleeping Bear Press, 2017) and the 1913 U.S. Open golf tournament (FRANCIS AND EDDIE, Why Not Books, 2013). He has written more than a dozen rhyming alphabet picture books for Sleeping Bear Press, including H IS FOR HOME RUN, S IS FOR SAVE THE PLANET (a finalist in the National "Best Books 2009" Awards) and W IS FOR WELCOME: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA'S DIVERSITY, which is sold at the Statue of Liberty Pavilion.

Brad is also the author of four critically acclaimed narratives about his travels through small-town America. His first travel memoir, STATES OF MIND (John F. Blair Publishing, 1999), reached #2 on the Amazon.com bestseller list. He followed that with SMALL WORLD (Pocket Books, 2004) and TURN LEFT AT THE TROJAN HORSE (Citadel Press, 2010). DETOUR 2020 (Why Not Books, 2020) is his cross-country chronicle of "America's wrong turns."

As a freelance magazine writer, Brad has been honored several times by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), including a Grand Gold Medal for best feature article of the year. He has been interviewed on "The Today Show" and "Oprah" and has been profiled in publications ranging from People magazine to Reader's Digest. Brad (www.bradherzog.com) lives on California's Central Coast.

Reviews

[infoqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books in this series ("Count On Me: Sports") feature brief stories reflecting the theme of each collection (generosity, teamwork, courage.) The vignettes are nicely diverse, not only in gender and ethnicity, but also varied by age (from children to adults), status (amateur, professional, disabled), and sport. (tennis, soap box racing and dressage, along with the expected baseball, basketball and football.) Written in student-friendly language, the stories are uplifting without being preachy, demonstrating that athletes can be admired as much for their character as for their physical abilities and multi-million dollar salaries.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an age when we think of most athletes as selfish and greedy, this book shows that many athletes, professional and amateur, strive to leave the world a better place by donating either time, talent, or money. This book makes a great addition to character building collections as well as general sports collections.