The Origins of Sports - by Tom Velcovsky & Stepanka Sekaninova (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This beautifully illustrated book covers 10 most popular sports and how they developed during the history, including the rules, equipment, and the star players.

From the prehistory until today, this book provides young readers with a comprehensive overview of the most popular sports disciplines. Find out where the idea of a goal came from, and what the origin of the ball is. How did the first tennis racket look like? And did you know that hockey was played in Ancient Egypt? A lot of new information as well as fun facts from the world of sports is awaiting you on these pages.

Learn more about the following sports:

• Athletics


• Skating


• Ice hockey


• Golf


• Football


• Tennis


• Basketball


• Swimming


• Skiing


• Baseball

Review Quotes

Selected for the Spring 2023 Showcase: Spring Into a New You by The Children's Book Council.

"The vocabulary and print are for older children, but would be a good book to sit together and read and enjoy. The history is very impressive, and adults will certainly learn a lot, too, about how each sport evolved. This was a nice comprehensive large book with sections about athletics, skating, ice hockey, golf, football, tennis, basketball, swimming, skiing, and baseball. Sports books are always a nice addition to a collection, and this covers an area that most will not have for the younger set." --Lynne Wright, Oregon Coast Youth Book Review

"Not your typical book about sports, this delightful non-fiction picture book is packed with research that most will not have seen before. I consider myself a sports nut, and I learned a bunch from this book, including that volleyball was created in Massachusetts!" --The Silver Unicorn Bookstore

"What kind of books do you get the sporty kids? The ones who would rather be out running around than sitting and reading? Well, how about this one for starters? I love that this gets into the origin of sports, not only as a whole, but also individual sports - everything from skiing to tennis, football to baseball. While I see a good number of books about athletes, I feel like I don't see as many in the nonfiction space talking about sports, so this was a welcome addition to our shelf." --Picturebook Playdate, IG

"Have you ever thought about the origin of your favorite sport? Here is a phenomenonal book to help young sports enthusiasts discover the history behind their favorite activities! I loved sharing this story with my kids today. I couldn't get enough of the illustrations. Tennis is big in my house, so seeing the tennis rackets of the past was just so neat. The kids have done history projects on gymnastics and dance in recent years. I see another sports history project in their future! They've definitively been inspired!" --Fun Reads for Kids, IG

"With its modern graphic design and engaging storytelling, this book not only educates but also entertains. It's a fantastic resource for sports enthusiasts and curious minds alike, presenting an entertaining blend of information and humor." --Read with a Rescue, IG

About the Author

Tom Velcovsky is a graduate of Audiovisual Production from the Silesian University in Opava, Czech Republic, where he specialized in screenwriting and storyboards. Before switching to children's books and the making of comic strips, he worked in advertising.

Stepanka Sekaninova used to work as a TV reporter and in the production of children's programs. Now she is a writer and an editor-in-chief, living in the Czech Republic.

Although Matej Ilcik has been keen on drawing and art from a young age, he did not attend courses in art as a child. He studied Political Science, rather than creative subjects, pursuing his interests in painting and art history in his free time. He acquired the basic techniques for his work as an artist on a two-year adult education course in painting. Having briefly considered his options, he started out as a freelance graphic designer.