My Favorite Winter Olympics Books
The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy may have come to an end, but the Olympic spirit never dies long after the Olympic flames go out. I enjoy everything the Winter Olympics bring. My favorite events that I always enjoy include figure skating, snowboarding, skiing, hockey, speed skating, bobsledding, aerials, and ski jumping. I remember watching the Winter Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City for the very first time and being completely mesmerized by the talent, dedication, and hard work the athletes put in to make it to the Olympics. The following books are books I have really enjoyed reading this Olympic season. This includes athletes that competed during the Milano Cortina Olympics and Olympics from the past.
Mikaela Shiffrin by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vergara
This was such a fun picture book of Mikaela’s early years intertwined with her ski career. It was published earlier this year and offers relevant information for 2026. The exception to that being her 2026 Olympic gold medal win in the slalom. Shiffrin finished with an impressive time of 1.39.10.
Fearless Heart by Frank Murphy with Surya Bonaly
If you thought Ilia Malinin, representing the men’s figure skating team at the 2026 Milano Cortina was the first to complete a backflip on Olympics ice, then think again. True, Malinin is the first man and first person to legally complete that jump on Olympics ice, but the real credit goes to Surya Bonaly for paving the way for skaters who came after her. Bonaly competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Back then doing backflips was illegal because many thought it was too dangerous to risk on the ice. Bonaly didn’t care. This children’s picture books takes readers into the fierce figure skating world of Surya Bonaly who wasn’t afraid to break the rules. I really was captivated by the illustrations of the many different figure skating outfits. Her mother was known for creating her colorful costumes which just made her shine that much more on ice.
What Are the Winter Olympics? by Gail Herman
If you want a crash course on the history of the Winter Olympics that will only take a day or two to read, then this is the perfect book to pick up! I found the chapters short and sweet, but exactly to the point. It mentions the beginning of the Winter Olympics which began in France back in 1924. The chapters are in chronological order by the decade. Relevant sports and athletes are mentioned. The only negative I could find about this book is that since it was published in 2021, the two most recent Winter Olympics are not included. Perhaps they can make a revised edition.