Boxing is currently the number one fitness trend in America! I can personally attest to the allure of boxing as a complete workout that is never boring. I also like the addition of learning a self-defense skill.
In recent years, there has been a remarkable surge in the popularity of boxing fitness, especially among women. No longer confined to the realm of professional fighters, boxing has evolved into a powerful workout that combines physical conditioning, self-defense techniques, stress relief and so much more. from Austin Fit Magazine
I have been training with Marc Gargaro of Nonantum Boxing Club for twelve years. He was a boxing trainer for the U.S. Olympic Men’s and Women’s boxing team that competed in Tokyo, returning with three medals, the highest medal count for the United States in more than twenty years.
My boxing picture book, Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! was inspired as a fan of the sport, and I wanted to also show how many popular idioms have boxing origins that perhaps most people aren’t aware of.
I am searching for more boxing children’s books to add to this list. Thank you for any suggestions!
I am giving away 5 copies of Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.
15 Boxing-Themed Children’s Books
Muhammad Ali (Little People, Big Dreams series) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Brosmind
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., he started boxing at 12 years old after his bike was stolen. He went on to a spectacular amateur career winning 100 matches out of 105. At 22, he turned professional and also found his voice as an activist. He converted to Islam, taking the name of Muhammad Ali, and spoke out against racism and war. With four heavyweight titles, he is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time but he is equally revered for his activism and charitable work. This book captures his life in a way that is accessible to a very young reader. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Kai Gietzen
Mom is counting on Dad to get Boxer Baby down for her nap, but Boxer Baby is the G.O.A.T. of sleep avoidance. This hilarious face-off mimics a three-round boxing match, as Boxer Baby is no lightweight when it comes to staying awake.
Dad has a few tricks up his sleeve, but will it be enough in this epic battle against nap time?
Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! uses figurative language to show how many common idioms have boxing origins. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Me and Muhammad Ali by Jabari Asim, illustrated by AG Ford
Jabari Asim shares his personal story about Muhammad Ali in this fictionalized but realistic portrait of his mother’s actual encounter with him. Muhammad Ali is scheduled to visit Langston’s neighborhood and he is excited to finally meet his hero. Langston is inspired by Muhammad’s rhyming poetry. When he tries to enter the venue, a security guard stops them. When all hope is lost, Langston turns to find Muhammad Ali himself intervening. He brings them in as his personal guests at his event. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champion by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Alix Delinois
“I like white people. I like my own people,” Ali said. “I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.”
Muhammad Ali is perhaps the most famous heavyweight champion in history. He is also known as a Civil Rights activist, winning, in a Supreme Court decision, the right to refuse to fight in the military because of religious objections. This picture book conveys both his achievements and his larger-than-life personality. [picture book biography, ages 4 and up]
Muhammad Ali: A Champion is Born by Gene Barretta, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Muhammad Ali’s boxing career began as a twelve-year-old when his bicycle was stolen. The police officer whom he reported the crime to ended up training him in boxing. At this young age, he knew he would be a heavyweight champion of the world, but he would also become a role model as an activist against racism. As the People’s Champion, his legacy will live on forever. [picture book biography, ages 4 and up]
Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Francois Roca
Written in lyrical free verse, Muhammad Ali’s story pulls in the reader with its verve and cadence. Beginning with an overview of the great Black boxers before Ali, this picture book engagingly tells his story as the greatest boxer of all time. [picture book biography, ages 4 and up]
Champion: The Story of Muhammad Ali by Jim Haskins, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hand can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.”
Muhammad Ali’s most famous poem (above) described his fighting style for his Rumble in the Jungle fight against George Foreman in Zaire, but he was a prolific poet. His poems are featured in this book detailing his life as a champion of both boxing and social justice. He is arguably the greatest heavyweight champion the world has ever known and certainly the most famous and influential. [picture book biography, ages 6 and up]
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammed Ali by Charles R. Smith, Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier
Written in lyrical free verse poems — one for each round — the words bob, weave, and jab in an homage to a legendary boxing right. Collier’s illustrations bring it as well. It’s fitting that Muhammet Ali’s greatest fight be told through poetry; he too, was a wordsmith with a gift of rhyme such as these famous quotes:
“It will be a killer and a chiller and a thriller when I get the gorilla in Manila.”
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.”
“I wrestled with an alligator, I tussled with a whale, I handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail, I’m bad man…Last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean I make medicine sick.” [advanced picture book, ages 10 and up]
A Fist for Joe Louis and Me by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by Nichole Tadgell
The fight of Joe Louis against Max Schmeling was more than just a boxing match. It was the Fight of the Century that felt like America against Nazi Germany. In Detroit, Joe Louis’ hometown, Gordy befriends Ira, a Jewish refugee, and teaches him how to spar. When a bully goes after Ira, Gordy is an ally, using his boxing skills to wear out the bully. It’s not the fight of the century, but it cements their friendship. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
Joe Louis: America’s Fighter by David A. Adler, illustrated by Terry Widener
Joe Louis was born in Alabama during tough times. The grandson of slaves, his father was a sharecropper who struggled to make ends meet. After his father was institutionalized in a mental hospital, his mother moved the family to Detroit when she remarried. It is here that Joe was introduced to the sport of boxing. With a record of 50-54 as an amateur, he decided to go pro. He became a symbol of hope for Black Americans. In the built-up to WWII, Joe famously fought Nazi Germany’s representative Max Schmeling, but what isn’t widely known is that Joe Lewis fought him twice, the first time losing to him. His rematch, in 1938, united Americans against Adolf Hitler. After his victory, he enlisted in the Army, fighting twice more. By the time he retired, Joe Lewis was described as perhaps the best heavyweight fighter of all time.” [picture book biography, ages 8 and up]
Knockout by K. A. Holt
Levi was born premature, fighting for his life. His mother and older brother have never stopped viewing him as fragile so when he discovered boxing, he finally finds a space where he feels strong. His relationship with his father has always been complicated; his mother and brother view him as a deadbeat. This novel in verse has you cheering for Levi in this compelling coming-of-age story. The journal entries between Levi and his brother are some of my favorite moments in the book.
I do have to say that there are some moments when I felt the book was inaccurate. For example, the MCAT test that everyone takes to apply to medical school is like the SAT. It is not a pass/fail test. It would have been easy to rewrite it as his brother trying to get into a particular medical school, and having to study to get a score high enough to be competitive. As someone who trains in boxing, it is also unrealistic to me that Levi could hop into a boxing ring and fight round after round with minimal training. It took me years just to develop the muscles to hold my gloves up high for three-minute rounds. It’s possible that Levi has an extremely high ring IQ, is quick on his feet, and has fast hands, but he would not have the cardio fitness to spar. Still, these are minor points and do not take away from the pleasure of reading this book. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]
Knockout!: A Photobiography of Boxer Joe Lewis by George Sullivan
Pair this book with Joe Louis: America’s Fighter for a more in-depth look at his life.
Joe Louis inspired a wide fan base that included white, black, and Jewish people during a time when black representation was rare in professional sports. When Joe quit school to work making deliveries, he dreamed of becoming a boxer but being a black boxer meant that judging would never go his way. He would have to win by way of knockout. Boxing promoters also did not want to see another black heavyweight champion and they searched for a white opponent who could defeat Joe. Their attitude would change when Joe fought Max Schemeling for the second time with the world anxiously watching Nazi Germany march towards world war. Joe felt the weight of the world but was determined not to let down his fans. With this victory, Joe showed Adolf Hitler and the world that white people were not superior to Blacks. He defeated Max in one round. He will be remembered as a champion both in the ring and against racism. [nonfiction picture book, ages 10 and up]
Hands by Torrey Maldonado
In the projects where Trev lives, being able to fight has the power to stay safe, but it also can lead to jail. When Trev’s stepfather hits his mother, Trev has to make a decision to use his hand for fighting or for a better future as an artist. His family, including his uncles, want to help Trev avoid the part of violence but with his stepfather being released from jail in a few weeks, he needs to decide how best to help his family. Torrey Maldonado captures the voices and choices of this gritty neighborhood with grace and hope. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]
Chasing Pacquaio by Rod Pulido
Bobby Motto is navigating a difficult path as a gay, academic student in an inner-city high school with metal detectors. When he is outed, Filipino gangbangers beat him up and take his bicycle, his last connection to his father who recently passed away. His only chance to survive is to learn how to fight. A janitorial job at Jab Gym is the break that he needs both to put food on the table to help out his single mom, and to learn how to box. But when his hero, Manny Pacquiao, disparages gay people, he feels attacked from all angles. Luckily, his boyfriend Brandon, best friend Rosie, and his new boxing coach Luke provide the support he needs to find his place in the ring and the world. I really loved all the Filipino cultural references throughout the book. [young adult, ages 12 and up]
The Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft by Reinhard Kleist
Harry Haft was born in Poland to impoverished Jewish parents, and his family family barely got by before the Nazis invaded his town. This graphic novel is a brutal depiction of his father’s survival through boxing in a Nazi concentration camp, and his life that followed as an immigrant to the United States. His Holocaust story of how his boxing skills kept him alive in Auschwitz is part of a larger story of boxers who were rounded up and forced into a perverted form of the sport for the entertainment of the Nazis.
Best known for fighting champion Rocky Mariano, Harry is part of the pantheon of talented Jewish fighters detailed in the back. One throughline of Harry’s life was his first love, Leah. Despite war, distance, and decades, he hopes to see her before he dies. His son is there to witness their reunion, eventually becoming his dad’s confidant when he is ready to relive his trauma by telling his story. [young adult graphic novel, ages 12 and up]
Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! 5 Picture Book GIVEAWAY!
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- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
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I absolutely love the last of the really great whangdoodles
Never thought about it. Love the covers.