
When your child starts somersaulting across the living room or expresses interest in their first sports class, this book serves as the perfect introductory guide. It transitions a child's natural physical energy into a structured understanding of gymnastics, focusing on the dedication and practice required to master new skills. By highlighting diverse athletes and various apparatus, it validates a child's curiosity while setting realistic expectations for the hard work ahead. Parents will find this a valuable tool for discussing the importance of perseverance and the pride that comes from physical achievement. It simplifies complex athletic concepts into accessible language, making it ideal for the 'big kid' phase where children are eager to claim a specific identity or talent as their own.





















Your experience helps other parents find the right book.
Sign in to write a reviewThe book is secular and direct. It mentions the physical demands of the sport but focuses on safety and proper training. There are no depictions of severe injury, though the reality of falling and getting back up is addressed as part of the learning process.
An active 7 to 9 year old who is either about to start their first gymnastics class or is obsessed with watching the Olympics. It is also a great fit for a child who struggles with 'perfectionism' and needs to see that even experts started with the basics.
This book is safe to read cold. Parents might want to pay attention to the vocabulary sidebars to help their child pronounce specific terms like 'apparatus' or 'choreography.' A parent might reach for this after their child tries a 'stunt' at home that was slightly dangerous, or after the child expresses a desire to quit a sport because a specific move is too difficult.
Younger readers (age 7) will focus on the vibrant action photography and identifying the equipment. Older readers (age 9) will engage more with the technical explanations of how the body moves and the historical context of the sport.
Unlike many gymnastics books that focus only on female floor exercise, this DK guide is inclusive of various genders and disciplines, providing a more holistic and modern view of the sport.
Part of the DK progression series, this nonfiction title provides a comprehensive overview of gymnastics. It covers the history of the sport, the different types of equipment (beams, bars, vaults, and mats), the physics of movement, and the daily life of a gymnast in training. It emphasizes vocabulary building and conceptual understanding of athletic discipline.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.