"When puppy dogs fall in the water
They know what to do to survive.
They paddle and churn,
And they don't have to learn
How to swim - so they come out alive.
But people who haven't learned swimming
Would sink like a stone in the sea
Or a pond or a lake
If they fell by mistakem
For we don't swim instinctually."
In her introdution Alice Low talks about early sports, mostly played with stones or objects that looked like balls. Athletes also ran to survive, or danced to bring sun and rain. There were many reasons why sports became a part of daily life. Soon, they provided fun and entertainment.
With each poem she adds a note about the sport whose beginnings she imparts, giving readers a very short history lesson on its origin. Her poems then describe those beginnings, often with humor. Sports fans will garner information about their favorite one. The cartoon drawings invite long looks and much discussion about the sport itself, the times and the setting.
An author's note explains that she began with one sport, researching its beginnings and then wrote a poem. That started her wondering about others and voila, we have the book that is here described. Alice Low adds other information in a note at the end of the text and finally, a timeline that places each sport's origins in history, dating all the way back to 5200 BCE. What fun!
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