Spring 2026

For the Win

Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes

  • Interest Level: Grade 2 - Grade 5
  • Reading Level: Grade 3

Love sports? This is the book for you!

This action-packed poetry anthology, edited by award-winning poetic collaborators Irene Latham and Charles Waters, features twenty contemporary athletes who have overcome obstacles, broken records, and inspired fans around the globe. Poets zoom in on a meaningful moment from each athlete’s career—including Juan Soto’s father predicting on his tenth birthday that one day he’d play in the World Series and Simone Biles coming back to compete after getting the twisties during the Tokyo Olympics. The collection includes JaNay Brown-Wood writing about LeBron James, Jaime Adoff writing about Mookie Betts, and Kao Kalia Yang writing about Suni Lee. It’s a slam dunk, a home run, and a perfect 10!

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979-8-7656-6799-6
On pre-order until 03/03/2026
$20.99
979-8-7656-9167-0
On pre-order until 03/03/2026
$25.99
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Interest Level Grade 2 - Grade 5
Reading Level Grade 3
Genre Social Studies
Category Reading/Language Arts, Sports
Copyright 2026
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 48
Publication Date 2026-03-03
Text Type Poetry
BISACS JNF042000, JNF054000
Dewey 811/.6
Dimensions 8 x 10
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Reviewed, and Table of contents

Reviews

Booklist

“Each competitor is the main subject of a poem written by a different contributor, resulting in a variety of styles, voices, imagery, and themes. . . . The poems are supported by color photos and brief biographical profiles that help kids interpret language choices and poetic allusions.”—Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

“Successfully utilizes poetry to illuminate athletic excellence.”—Kirkus Reviews