10 Football Books for Preschool and Kindergarten

Inside: a curated list of children’s books about football, appropriate for preschool and kindergarten age.

My daughter had a burning question.

“When’s kickoff, Mommy?”

I’d never heard those words from her lips before, and I knew my plan was working. I had a small stack of football books checked out of the library, and we’d been reading them aloud.

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Little Kids Books About Football

Whether you’re looking for stories to help your kids understand and get excited about the game, or you want to find titles to get little football fans interested in books, these options can help.

Football with Dad by Frank J. Berrios is a great story for introducing kids to football. It weaves in everything from getting special snacks to watching a game to a lesson on tackling and throwing a football. (ad)

A Team Stays Together by Tony and Lauren Dungy is an easy reader about a family attending a football game. They get up at halftime for snacks, and the youngest brother gets lost. (ad)

Gunner, Football Hero by James E. Ransome is a fun football picture book with a growth mindset theme. It’s about a third-string Pee Wee football player who almost saves the game for his team. (ad)

By My Brother’s Side by Tiki and Ronde Barber also has a growth mindset theme. It’s a longer, autobiographical picture book about twins who grew up to be professional football players. The story focuses on the time when Tiki fell off his bicycle and injured his knee, and his long road to recovery. (ad)

Home-Field Advantage by Justin Tuck is another autobiographical picture book by a pro football player. This one tells a funny episode from Tuck’s childhood. It’s not really much about the game of football, but may get children interested in learning more about the players. (ad)

Dino-Football by Lisa Wheeler is a lot of fun! The rhyming text and dynamic illustrations make this a winning choice for kids who are already familiar with football, especially if they like dinosaurs too. (ad)

The Berenstain Bears Play Football by Mike Berenstain is about the bear family playing football outside while the “Grizzly Bowl” is on TV. This is a fun choice to read before the Super Bowl or other big games. (ad)

Don’t throw it to Mo! by David A. Adler is a relatable story about a young boy who loves football even though he is the smallest kid on his team. (ad)

My First Book of Football from Sports Illustrated Kids explains what happens in a football game. It includes lots of basic terminology, illustrated with an appealing combination of graphics and photos from a real NFL game. (ad)

Quarterbacks by Josh Leventhal is a nonfiction book that’s part of a series called “Football’s All-Time Greats.” Written at about a 2nd grade level, and with bright graphics and photographs, this would also work as a read-aloud to younger kids. My kids fought over possession of this book! This book appears to be out of print, but it may be available used on Amazon (ad), or you can check to see if it’s in your local library.