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From Challenge to Champion

12 Inspiring Sports Stories for New Readers (Sports Books for Kids)

Part of From Challenge to Champion

Author Skyler Trepel

Illustrated by Lorenzo Fornaciari

Paperback

$13.99 US

Zeitgeist | Z Kids

5.96"W x 9"H x 0.3"D | 6 oz | 48 per carton

On sale Apr 08, 2025 | 144 Pages | 9780593886168

Age 6-9 years

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Awaken your child’s inner champion—and love of reading—with these motivational sports stories for kids ages 6–9.

“From overcoming challenges to advocating for change, this book shows how true champions inspire us both on and off the field.”
—Allyson Felix, seven-time Olympic gold medalist and founder of Saysh

Do you have a sports-obsessed kid eager to learn more about their favorite stars? Thrill them with From Challenge to Champion, a collection of stories about legendary athletes from soccer, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, and more. They’ll learn how these athletes overcame incredible challenges—whether injury, doubt, burnout, or difficult beginnings—and emerged victorious. From Simone Biles and Serena Williams to Lionel Messi and LeBron James, each athlete’s tale is a testament to hard work and perseverance that is sure to inspire and empower your child. Perfect for bedtime reading, classroom libraries, or as a gift to young readers, this book is sure to become a treasured early chapter book.

What’s Inside?

12 uplifting sports heroes. Dive into the lives of LeBron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, Jessica Long, Megan Rapinoe, Jackie Robinson, Allyson Felix, Patrick Mahomes, Chloe Kim, Tom Brady, and Lionel Messi—top athletes from America’s most beloved sports.
Life lessons that go beyond sports. Valuable insights on resilience, growth mindset, and the importance of believing in oneself inspire young readers to go after their own dreams.
Additional athletes to know and love. 12 more short biographies of breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, and C. J. Stroud.

Easy-to-read format that’s a slam dunk for new readers. Short chapters, fun illustrations, and simple language keep kids engaged and motivated to read more.

Skyler Trepel is a multimedia sports and entertainment journalist and author from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Skyler has his bachelor of commerce with honors from the University of Manitoba, his film production diploma from the Toronto Film School, and his master of arts in specialized journalism from the University of Southern California.

Formerly a financial advisor, Skyler left that career to pursue his passion for sports and entertainment journalism and writing. He has written hundreds of articles for various publications and is currently a contributing writer for People magazine/People.com, focusing on sports and entertainment. When not writing, Skyler loves spending time with his family, watching and playing sports, cooking, going to concerts, traveling, reading, spending time with friends, playing video games, watching TV and movies, and hanging out with his cat, Simba. View titles by Skyler Trepel

Lorenzo Fornaciari is an illustrator, graphic designer, and teacher. He has loved drawing his whole life, and after attending Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Reggio Emilia, he began work as a freelance illustrator. He has lived in the UK and Italy while creating illustrations for children’s books. Lorenzo was a teacher of storyboarding and Photoshop at Scuola Internazionale die Comics in Italy and still likes to host workshops. He has worked on many exciting projects, from video games and animation to websites, comics, and board games. View titles by Lorenzo Fornaciari

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About

12 uplifting sports heroes. Dive into the lives of LeBron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, Jessica Long, Megan Rapinoe, Jackie Robinson, Allyson Felix, Patrick Mahomes, Chloe Kim, Tom Brady, and Lionel Messi—top athletes from America’s most beloved sports.
Life lessons that go beyond sports. Valuable insights on resilience, growth mindset, and the importance of believing in oneself inspire young readers to go after their own dreams.
Additional athletes to know and love. 12 more short biographies of breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, and C. J. Stroud.

Easy-to-read format that’s a slam dunk for new readers. Short chapters, fun illustrations, and simple language keep kids engaged and motivated to read more.

Creators

Available for sale exclusive:

• Afghanistan

• Aland Islands

• Albania

• Algeria

• Andorra

• Angola

• Anguilla

• Antarctica

• Antigua/Barbuda

• Argentina

• Armenia

• Aruba

• Australia

• Austria

• Azerbaijan

• Bahamas

• Bahrain

• Bangladesh

• Barbados

• Belarus

• Belgium

• Belize

• Benin

• Bermuda

• Bhutan

• Bolivia

• Bonaire, Saba

• Bosnia Herzeg.

• Botswana

• Bouvet Island

• Brazil

• Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter

• Brit.Virgin Is.

• Brunei

• Bulgaria

• Burkina Faso

• Burundi

• Cambodia

• Cameroon

• Canada

• Cape Verde

• Cayman Islands

• Centr.Afr.Rep.

• Chad

• Chile

• China

• Christmas Islnd

• Cocos Islands

• Colombia

• Comoro Is.

• Congo

• Cook Islands

• Costa Rica

• Croatia

• Cuba

• Curacao

• Cyprus

• Czech Republic

• Dem. Rep. Congo

• Denmark

• Djibouti

• Dominica

• Dominican Rep.

• Ecuador

• Egypt

• El Salvador

• Equatorial Gui.

• Eritrea

• Estonia

• Ethiopia

• Falkland Islnds

• Faroe Islands

• Fiji

• Finland

• France

• Fren.Polynesia

• French Guinea

• Gabon

• Gambia

• Georgia

• Germany

• Ghana

• Gibraltar

• Greece

• Greenland

• Grenada

• Guadeloupe

• Guam

• Guatemala

• Guernsey

• Guinea Republic

• Guinea-Bissau

• Guyana

• Haiti

• Heard/McDon.Isl

• Honduras

• Hong Kong

• Hungary

• Iceland

• India

• Indonesia

• Iran

• Iraq

• Ireland

• Isle of Man

• Israel

• Italy

• Ivory Coast

• Jamaica

• Japan

• Jersey

• Jordan

• Kazakhstan

• Kenya

• Kiribati

• Kuwait

• Kyrgyzstan

• Laos

• Latvia

• Lebanon

• Lesotho

• Liberia

• Libya

• Liechtenstein

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Macau

• Macedonia

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Maldives

• Mali

• Malta

• Marshall island

• Martinique

• Mauritania

• Mauritius

• Mayotte

• Mexico

• Micronesia

• Minor Outl.Ins.

• Moldavia

• Monaco

• Mongolia

• Montenegro

• Montserrat

• Morocco

• Mozambique

• Myanmar

• Namibia

• Nauru

• Nepal

• Netherlands

• New Caledonia

• New Zealand

• Nicaragua

• Niger

• Nigeria

• Niue

• Norfolk Island

• North Korea

• North Mariana

• Norway

• Oman

• Pakistan

• Palau

• Palestinian Ter

• Panama

• PapuaNewGuinea

• Paraguay

• Peru

• Philippines

• Pitcairn Islnds

• Poland

• Portugal

• Puerto Rico

• Qatar

• Reunion Island

• Romania

• Russian Fed.

• Rwanda

• S. Sandwich Ins

• Saint Martin

• Samoa,American

• San Marino

• SaoTome Princip

• Saudi Arabia

• Senegal

• Serbia

• Seychelles

• Sierra Leone

• Singapore

• Sint Maarten

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Solomon Islands

• Somalia

• South Africa

• South Korea

• South Sudan

• Spain

• Sri Lanka

• St Barthelemy

• St. Helena

• St. Lucia

• St. Vincent

• St.Chr.,Nevis

• St.Pier,Miquel.

• Sth Terr. Franc

• Sudan

• Suriname

• Svalbard

• Swaziland

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Syria

• Tadschikistan

• Taiwan

• Tanzania

• Thailand

• Timor-Leste

• Togo

• Tokelau Islands

• Tonga

• Trinidad,Tobago

• Tunisia

• Turkey

• Turkmenistan

• Turks&Caicos Is

• Tuvalu

• US Virgin Is.

• USA

• Uganda

• Ukraine

• Unit.Arab Emir.

• United Kingdom

• Uruguay

• Uzbekistan

• Vanuatu

• Vatican City

• Venezuela

• Vietnam

• Wallis,Futuna

• West Saharan

• Western Samoa

• Yemen

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

From Challenge to Champion

12 Inspiring Sports Stories for New Readers (Sports Books for Kids)

Part of From Challenge to Champion

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From Challenge to Champion

12 Inspiring Sports Stories for New Readers (Sports Books for Kids)

Part of From Challenge to Champion

About

Creators

Rights

Other books in this series

Penguin Random House

About Comics Retail

RETAILER CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTACTS