Editorial Review
SLJ Review of Beyond the Players
This set introduces sports-related jobs that young fans may not know much about. There’s not a lot of information, but the books provide basic examples of these occupations with strong visual support. Large, appealing photographs show different aspects of each job, drawing on several sports per title. A few short sentences per spread describe the scenes depicted in the photographs without specific details. In Coaches, the text reads: “They start the game. Tom drops the puck!” The accompanying photo shows a hockey face-off. Mascots shows a fun variety of mascots in action, from a place-kicking lion to the Phillie Phanatic interacting with fans in the stands, though readers don’t get to see any of the actual people or details of the costumes. Each book concludes with an encouraging word to children who might be interested in the career. The volumes include a review activity, picture glossary, index, and further reading in the back matter. VERDICT Consider for larger sports collections.
—Steven Engelfried