Find this list of amazing basketball books for kids. Introduce your toddler\preschooler to the game with the basketball picture books. Or get a book of trivia, read fun basketball stories with elementary class children. Motivate your middle graders with inspiring biographies. The books are great mix of nonfiction and fictional basketball stories. There are books for everyone.
25 Best Basketball Books for Kids of All Ages
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Check out these 25 best basketball books for children of all ages.
Table of contents
Basketball Picture & Alphabet Books – Ages 0-5
1. B is for Baller: The Ultimate Basketball Alphabet is created by two basketball fans – Author James Littlejohn and Illustrator Matthew Shipley. And the love is evident throughout the entire book.
It is a fun and informational Alphabet book about basketball, featuring some of the greatest NBA players of the game.
Short writing and artistic illustrations make this book a fun read from toddlers to 5 years old. A great family time read.
2. Goodnight Basketball is a Sports Illustrated Basketball picture book from the popular Goodnight series by author Michael Dahl.
With rhyming text and vivid images, the book narrates the journey of a young basketball fan as he says goodnight to the sport. A great bedtime storybook for toddlers and preschoolers.
3. My First Book of Basketball is the only book you would need for kids to understand the game of basketball. Written in simple words and colorful illustrations, this book teaches the rules and terms of basketball in a kid-friendly way.
Fun facts in pages along with rookie character drawings make this book an exciting read. A good book for bonding with your child over the game of basketball.
4. My Basketball Book teaches all the game basics for babies to kindergarteners. How is a basketball court marked? What do players wear? What are team positions? Learn these and more.
5. Little Basketball is an adorable board book perfect for teaching basketball terminologies to kids. Written in rhyming questions format and with big pictures of basketball related stuff, this book questions the toddlers about their basketball knowledge.
6. All-Star Pups! is Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol team is playing the hoop. This one is for the fans of the popular series. Yet another day when the pups step in and save the day by playing basketball. The book ends with a good moral of sportsmanship.
Early Reader Basketball books – Ages 6-10
7. Basketball Belles is the story of the first women collegiate basketball game of 1986, when people thought that basketball was only for boys. The narrator Agnes Morley played for the Stanford team.
It is a great read to know the challenges of playing the game in a different time. A book written in simple language for beginner readers.
8. Hoop Genius narrates how James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891. Taking over an over-energetic class at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts, he had to invent a game that was fast, exciting, and kept children occupied all the time.
With few sentences on each page, it is an easy and exciting read for early readers.
9. Salt in His Shoes is a book about what went into the making of Michael Jordon during his childhood. Narrated by his mother and sister, this book talks about the determination, patience, and hard work that made the legend.
A story only the family members can tell. An immensely inspiring book for kids.
10. Carson Chooses Forgiveness is a basketball story with good morals on how Carson decides to forgive Daniel for helping his team. The story teaches the important life lesson on teamwork and having a correct attitude on the field. It is a lesson every sportsman needs to learn.
Written in simple language along with bright illustrations – this basketball book is an easy read.
11. The Boy Who Never Gave Up is the inspiring biography of NBA superstar Stephen Curry. From being too small and weak to play to one of the greatest players of the game, this book is a must-read.
12. Basketball Activity Book is a an activity book for Basketball loving kids. Coloring, cross words, word searches, mazes, trivia, dot to dot – everything is included.
13. EllRay Jakes Stands Tall is a fiction basketball story. Ellray and his third-grader class are playing basketball. Ellray is working hard practicing dribbling, passing, and shooting. However, he is still chosen last in team selection.
Join in as Ellray executes his plan to get noticed. Short chapters are suitable for beginner readers.
14. Nobody Wants to Play with a Ball Hog. Tyler can score a perfect shot! So, he stops passing the ball to his teammates. His teammates are upset and soon opposition figures out a way to stop Tyler.
Read how he learns good sportsmanship. The book is an easy read and suitable for struggling readers.
15. Pass the Ball, Mo! Read how a small African-American boy Mo learns to pass the ball properly. His short height makes it difficult for him to launch the ball high enough. However, Mo is determined to find a way.
Basketball Books For Middle Graders- Ages 11-13
16. It’s a Numbers Game! Basketball “Success is in the detail -and the detail is in the math.” – Kobe Bryant wrote in the Foreword of this book. It is indeed all numbers – in every part of the basketball – starting from duration, shots, to geometry of perfect shot.
This book introduces the concept of maths in an easy way for the game of basketball. Bright pictures, fun tips make the reading exciting.
17. Legends is for the true basketball-loving middle graders. Filled with facts, statistics, information on the best of the players, teams, and games in Basketball. It is an easy and fun read for 10 to 13 years old.
18. My Basketball Season is a full-sized sports journal for your basketball-loving child. Journaling helps the children track and improve their performance The pages have writing prompts helping children focus on their game.
There are separate journaling sections dedicated to practices and games. Blank pages in the end for children to stick clipping, pic, etc and to write notes.
This journaling book is a perfect gift for any basketball player child aged 10 and above.
19. Kyrie Irving is about basketball player Kyrie Irving. Read about his journey to the NBA right from childhood through High school and college. The book shows that success does not come easy and it all requires hard work.
As per the book – every summer, Irving’s practice time was between five and ten hours a day, six days a week – emphasizing the point about hard work.
A great basketball book for any sports fan, this one is ideal for children aged 10 years and above.
20. Full Court Dreams is the story of a young basketball player. Annie is trying to make it to her school basketball team. She has been working hard and ready to do all it takes to make it to the team.
A heart-warming story, for every child to learn – never give up.
21. Lizzy Legend is the story of middle grader Lizzy Trudeaux. She loves to play basketball. She works hard and wants to join the boys’ team at school.
Things change when one fine day Lizzy gets a magical wish – an ability to sink every shot. How does Lizzy use her new magical power?
22. Beastly Basketball is an interesting story mixing basketball with kung fu style. Joe joins the school basketball team.
However, when he sees his new teammates lack discipline, Joe decides to improve their performance by bringing kung-fu style and discipline to teammates. Tweens will surely enjoy this sports illustrated graphic novel.
23. On the Court: Biographies of Today’s Best Basketball Players. It includes biographies of the well-known and talented players from NBA and WNBA. The list includes current players and also legends.
Full of facts, information and real pictures – this book is recommended for boys and girls in 5th grade and above.
24. Play Basketball Like a Pro teaches tips and tricks. How do pro players learn Big slam dunks? How to practice shooting three-pointers, stealing the ball, and making rebounds? The book is crisply written with lots of pictures.
25. The Ultimate Basketball Super Trivia Book is packed with 700 trivia, fun facts for NBA fans. Kids can sit together with their friends and test their knowledge. The book is broken down into section for easy reference. Throughout the book, there are quotes from players which make the reading fun.
Goodnight Basketball – Read aloud
