The Best Football Books for Kids

Get ready for Superbowl Sunday with these books all about football, for young readers and older readers, too. These football books for kids will get everyone excited for game day! This post contains affiliate links.

Five Football Books for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Football With Dad by Frank Berrios  Every Sunday, a boy and his dad watch the big football game on TV, and then go outside to play it. In this simple introduction to the game, the emphasis is on playing safely and having fun.

NFL Football Colors: My First Book of Colors by Brad M. Epstein NFL Football Colors is the ultimate football colors book for every young fan of NFL football. The book showcases all the great traditions, players and teams through a rainbow of colors. From the red of a Chiefs helmet, orange of the Broncos uniform and green of a football field to the silver of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, you will learn all the colors with great football symbols! And the bright, colorful design is a touchdown. It is not your average book of colors it is a visually stunning rainbow of excitement. A great catch for every young football fan. Officially licensed by the NFL.

Little Football by Brad Herzog  Now even the smallest of fans can enjoy a book about their favorite sport. Rhyming riddles accompanied by colorful artwork help introduce the game’s simplest, most basic elements. My First Book of Football by The Editors of Sports Illustrated  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS kicks off the football season with a brand-new series to help young readers learn the rules, plays, and basics about popular sports. In the first Rookie Book, My First Book of Football, an illustrated rookie player character introduces the next generation of fans to the world of football and guides kids through a visual retelling of an actual NFL game–from the nail-biting coin toss to the exhilarating winning touchdown. Simple text with engaging action photography and a glossary of essential football terms throughout, including punt, tackle, kickoff, end zone and more, reinforce the message on each page with humor and fun. A perfect book for beginning readers, My First Book of Football is meant to be a shared reading experience between parents and their young football rookies before, during, and after game day. My Football Book by Gail Gibbons   Find all the basics in this lively guide: The markings on a football field, What football players wear, The positions, from quarterback to wide receiver, The excitement of the kickoff, The thrill of scoring a touchdown. All these and more are included with a useful glossary at the end.  

Fifteen Football Books for Elementary and Middle School Readers

What Is The Superbowl? by Dina Anastasio With over 110 million viewers every year, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events in the United States. The final showdown between the two best football teams in the NFL attracts some of the biggest musicians to perform at the half-time show. But the Super Bowl is more than just a spectacle – it’s a high-stakes game to win the championship and claim a place in history. Go back in time and relive all the magic from years past – from excruciating fumbles to game winning plays. Don’t Throw It To Mo! by David A. Adler  Winner of the 2016 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Mo Jackson is a little boy with a big passion for sports. He may not be the biggest, the strongest, or the fastest player, but he won’t let that stop him from playing! Mo is the youngest kid on the Robins, his football team. His classmates don’t mind, but the kids on their rival team tease him for being a “butterfingers” who’s too tiny to catch the ball. But Mo’s coach has a plan to turn Mo’s little size into a big win for the Robins! Kick-Off Blitz by Blake A. Hoena Tou Yang is the smallest kid on his football team, but he plays like a giant. Tou’s job is to dash down the field and smash the ball carrier on kickoffs and punts, and he does it well. When the Bandits come to town, an old enemy on the other side of the line goes out of his way to bring Tou down. Darren cuts corners and plays dirty. Will Tou be able to overcome his gridiron bully, or will Darren send him to the sidelines? Teammates by Tiki and RondeBarber Tiki Can’t Believe It when the ball is knocked out of his hand in the Cave Spring Viking’s last preseason game against their rival Knights. And when nobody wants to talk to him the next day at lunch, he feels even worse. So Ronde and Paco start “secret” practices with Tiki, and Coach shows him a special four point ball carry. And after plenty of practice, Tiki is transformed from a runner to a ball carrier, and he feels more confident than ever before. Now he’s a winner—and so is his team! Wild Card by Tiki and Ronde Barber The eighth-grade season couldn’t be going better for the Hidden Valley Eagles. The team is beginning to gel with their new head coach, and Tiki and Ronde and their teammates are counting on only wins with the play-offs in clear sight.  But report card time spells trouble for the Eagles when Adam Costa, their ace kicker, is benched for academic probation. It’s school policy: Without the grades, there’s no playing time. Without exception. Ever.  With only a few games left before the play-offs, the team’s hopes are shot. Will the Eagles be shut out of play-off contention for the first time in seven years? Or can the team that plays together study together too?  Inspired by the childhood of National Football League superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Wild Card is a story of teamwork and perseverance and what it takes to be a champion. Kickoff! by Tiki and Ronde Barber Tiki and Ronde’s twelfth summer is winding down — the nights are getting shorter and the evenings cooler. That means two things: The first day of junior high is just a few days away, and it’s almost the start of football season at last. With two championships and an 8-2 season last year, Tiki and Ronde are ready to graduate from the Peewee League and hit the field as starting players for the Hidden Valley Eagles. But junior high is a lot bigger than elementary school. The competition for starting spots is stiff, and seniority rules. If Tiki and Ronde make it past tryouts and cuts, will they get the chance to play, or will they have to spend the season watching from the bench with the other seventh graders?  Inspired by the childhood of NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Kickoff! is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and what it takes to be a champion. Go Long! by Tiki and Ronde Barber  Tiki and Ronde were the stars of their Pee Wee football team, the Cave Springs Vikings. But middle school is much bigger than elementary school and it’s a whole different game—on and off the field. When Coach Spangler takes a job coaching for the high school team and Tiki’s old science teacher Mr. Wheeler is tapped for the middle school coaching job, the beginning of the school year and the football season is off to a bumpy start. But through working together, the boys discover that the whole team is bigger than any of its parts. End Zone by Tiki and Ronde Barber The Hidden Valley Eagles have high hopes for the football championship in this novel from NFL superstars and bestselling authors Tiki and Ronde Barber. Tiki and Ronde are ready to end junior high with a win—a big win! Their dream is to see their team in the championship, and with the Hidden Valley Eagles’ undefeated season, their chances are strong. But when Manny, the star quarterback, starts having headaches, the doctor says he has a minor concussion, and he is out for two weeks. The whole school is counting on the team, but with pressure building, Tiki and Ronde are starting to lose their confidence. More than that, they think their good luck is going to run out. Will the team let an injury keep them from the championship? Or can they learn to work together to bring home a win? From real-life NFL superstar brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, this is an inspiring story of teamwork and triumph. Red Zone by Tiki and Ronde Barber  The Hidden Valley Eagles are on track to make the playoffs. Full of focus and determination, every player is at his best, and the team is working better together than ever before. But when a bout of chicken pox threatens to overtake the team, will their playoff dreams disappear? Goal Line by Tiki and Ronde Barber Tiki and Ronde have grown a lot during the spring and summer. At the start of ninth grade, they’re not only wiser and more mature, but they’re also taller and stronger—with bigger muscles and bigger hands to grab and hold the ball. Factor in the return of their beloved Coach Wheeler, and the boys couldn’t be readier for football season. But when Tiki wins an essay contest and gives an inspirational speech in front of the whole school, he becomes sought after for guidance and advice. The school paper even wants him to do a Dear Tiki column! However, Tiki would prefer to make his mark on the field—and with the Eagles starting 4-0 and a perfect season in sight, he’ll have to put a lid on his advice column and concentrate on football. A Running Back Can’t Always Rush by Nate LeBoutillier Danny loves to go fast. With his super speed, he can rush down the football field in seconds. The trouble is he forgets to slow down off of the field. When he zips through his homework, he makes mistakes. When he eats too fast, he feels sick. How will Danny learn that a running back can’t always rush? The Football Fumble by David A. Kelly The MVP kids can’t wait to play in the big football game. That is, until they catch a glimpse of their opponents! The team from Hamilton Elementary School seems bigger and—even worse—just plain mean. Taking on a tough opponent is never easy. Will this bully blitz keep the MVPs off their game? Or can they find a way to huddle together and win the day? Quarterback Rush by Carl Bowen The Otters are absolutely awesome in practice. Everyone’s talented and determined, and their new quarterback, Aaron Corbin, throws bullets… so why are the Otters struggling to win games? Steve Michaels, one of the team’s receivers, notices that Aaron seems to be afraid of getting hit. With a little help from his teammates, Steve goes to great lengths to toughen up Aaron only to discover that toughness isn’t the quarterback’s actual problem… The Dog That Stole Football Plays by Matt Christopher Mike’s telepathic dog Harry is able to tell him what the other football team plans to do on the field, but Mike wonders–is it cheating? Can he win the game without Harry’s help? Kick, Pass and Run by Leonard Kessler Rabbit was the first one to hear it. Duck was the first one to see it. Cat was the first one to feel it. But what is it? It turns out to be a football, and it leads the animal friends to discover the exciting game of football. Young sports fans have cheered Kick, Pass, and Run for thirty years. Now Leonard Kessler has reillustrated his classic I Can Read Book in full color, bringing this popular tale to a new generation of beginning readers.   PIN FOR LATER!