The Summer Olympics, which happen every four years, run from Friday, July 26th through Sunday, August 11th, 2024. Get ready for the games with these titles and resources!

• Find titles to read and share on these two thematic lists:

  • Summer Olympics and Fun Summer Sports.
  • 12 Nonfiction Titles About Olympic Athletes for Young Readers of All Ages.

• Looking for more sports titles? Explore our entire Sports Collection.

• Try out some of the many fun and engaging cross-curricular Olympic-themed activities in this lesson plan for G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet.

Learn about Olympic athletes past and present with these selected biographies and autobiographies:

• Hear about the huge role sports played in Ibtihaj Muhammad’s family and life in this audiobook excerpt for Proud (Young Readers Edition): Living My American Dream.

• Create your own gold medals with this activity sheet for Who Was Jesse Owens? while listening to the audiobook excerpt to hear about Jesse Owen’s love for running.

• Enjoy watching the complete video book reading of Game Changers: the Story of Venus and Serena Williams to learn about the lives of these sisters, who each won four gold medals at the Olympics. Then, as a class, practice expression with a Reader's Theater Script. Dive deeper with these teaching ideas; learn about the rules of tennis, watch an interview with the sisters when they were 11 and 12, and even make your own collages like the illustrator of this book.

• Share how Simone Biles got her unexpected start with gymnastics in her early life with this audiobook excerpt for Simone Biles.

• Listen to the audiobook excerpt for Who Is Michael Phelps? to learn how he overcame challenges and began his swimming journey to become the most decorated Olympian of all time. Then, have students watch some of his Olympic moment videos online.

• Contemplate this complete book reading of A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis and see how he became America’s hero in a time of war, then try out ideas in this activity guide.

• Watch this interview with Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce – one of the greatest female sprinters of all time and most decorated female sprinters, about her book I Am a Promise and hear about how running helps her on and off the track.

• Learn about swimming phenom Katie Ledecky in this audio excerpt for Who Is Katie Ledecky?.

• Show the video book trailer for She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game to lead students into research about American Olympians. Hear about three in this audio excerpt, then have students research and write about one.

• Play games and activities from these support materials for Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper, after watching the video book trailer.

• Many Olympic athletes have overcome hardships in their lives. Hear about gymnast Gabby Douglas’ early life as her family struggled with poverty in the audio excerpt for Grace, Gold, & Glory: My Leap of Faith, then read a couple more chapters in the Google Preview.