Gridiron is a middle-grade book that transcends football and kidlit

One’s appreciation of a subject matter isn’t relevant to their ability to discern the quality in it. For example, you don’t have to personally enjoy a genre of music to be aware that there is some talent that goes into making it. I am that way with sports. My knowledge of football specifically is limited to what could be written on the back of a postage stamp. Gridiron, Stories From 100 Years of the National Football League is an oversized book that is perfectly aimed at me, plus any middle-school student who happens to enjoy football or the drama of sports.

It’s that final descriptor that drives the book for us. While we don’t personally appreciate football, we love a great story and Gridiron is loaded with great stories about the players, games, quotes, and moments that make up the game. Almost more impressively is the brevity and relatability that each vignette is written. Each one is only two pages of written text, with every story but one of them having at least two pages of illustration that accompany it.

The illustrations are by James E. Ransome, who also illustrated Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams.  That book and those illustrations were empowering, motivational, and detailed the history of the Williams sisters. Gridiron is a much longer book, which is great because it allows Ransome’s art to span generations. His art can be described as having that classic NFL look. It’s realistically sketched with watercolors to fill in the shapes that make each picture look both modern and timeless. These are the illustrations that you want to be blown up and put behind glass of your favorite player or classic moment. Seriously, if the NFL or some of their teams hasn’t commissioned Ransome to do paintings of specific moments they are missing the boat.

Even casual sports fans or those passively interested in pop culture will recognize some of the stories in Gridiron. I knew Joe Namath but didn’t know his “I guarantee it” quip or why it was so heretical when it was said in 1969. Likewise a player name Iron Mike and how his death at a young age led to CTE being openly discussed. Essentially, it was Dr. Omalu, a Nigerian medical examiner who was curious as to the cause of death for a healthy 50-year-old man.

Gridiron takes a look at 20 people, stories or moments from professional football and makes each one of them breathlessly entertaining. Sure, you’re reading about a moment from a game that was played decades ago; but the text by Fred Bowen manages to make it feel like you’re following along to the game in real-time. The game will probably end the same way, even if you’re familiar with the story, but his economy of words will make the stories readable for middle school audiences.

Oh, you have a middle-grade student who loves football, but doesn’t like to read? This book is the go-to jam that will delight them across the end zone of bedtime and beyond. It’s not a good-night book per se, but each story is timed to where it’ll take five to seven minutes to read aloud. If a middle-school reader engages in the book it’ll take just a little longer. The text is too challenging for most elementary school readers, however, those ages, if they enjoy football will love having the book read to them.

Gridiron is a fun reference football reference book that ages 9 and up will really enjoy reading. Granted, those younger ages will need to have an existing love of the game. However, it’s those slightly older readers, say 11 and up, who love to read but don’t know much or anything about football that will be the most surprised by the book. They’ll see it as bite-sized stories about action, competition, adversity, and hope that could teach them life lessons without even seeing one game.

Gridiron is by Fred Bowen with illustrations by James E. Ransom and on Simon KIDS.

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