PLAY PROUD

Sanders blends poetry and profile as he spotlights 60 queer athletes.

Bouncy rhyming verse covers individuals across history, from household names like tennis player Billie Jean King to potentially less familiar ones, like track star Dr. Tom Waddell, who founded the Gay Games in 1982. Sanders introduces each boundary-busting athlete by first name only and devotes a single sentence to each, punctuated by occasional generalized inspirational stanzas. While the main text is light on concrete information, the backmatter provides full names and brief factual bullet points for each athlete. And because Sanders often doesn’t mention what sports these players excelled in, readers must rely on Evans’ brightly colored illustrations for context clues. The bold, kinetic images depict athletes in peak action, layered over swaths of color or shared backgrounds that sometimes visually link disparate sports within the same spread, such as horseracing, BMX, and NASCAR. A glossary of queer terms is also included, though many of the terms are never used in the text. Appealing visuals and satisfying rhymes make for an entertaining sports read. Featured athletes are diverse in race and body shape.

A fun and lively read-aloud, featuring an all-star lineup.