Sneakers: The Cool Stories and Facts Behind Every Pair (How It Happened)

Pages are filled with eye-catching graphics, sidebars, photos, illustrations, and accessible text pepper with numerous exclamation points.

A fun and fact-filled look at footwear that will find its audience.

Gr 3-6--This colorful, informative nonfiction book leads readers through the fascinating history of sneakers, from the oldest known shoe (a 9,000-year-old sandal woven from sagebrush) to the popular shoes of today. The book is divided into three sections: "How It All Started;" "How It Got Off the Ground;" and "How It Took Over the World." The first section describes Charles Goodyear's decades-long quest to develop vulcanized rubber, only to have his invention stolen, leaving him in debt at the end of his life. It also talks about the rise of Keds (originally called Peds), which became popular with women tennis players in the 1920s. The second section covers the 1936 Olympics, when American athlete Jesse Owen broke world records while wearing special sneakers designed by the Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Company. The Dassler brothers, Adi and Rudolf, eventually had a falling out that led them to the formation of two rival companies (Adidas and Puma), which led to a feud so bitter that employees of one company were forbidden from dating or marrying employees of the other. The section also covers the birth of Nike (which was almost called Dimension Six), and Onitsuka. The last section describes the rise of sneaker culture, including Van's, Converse, and Reeboks, and the major celebrity endorsements (Jane Fonda, Michael Jordan, and RUN-DMC) that transformed sneakers from an accessory reserved for athletes, to the everyday shoes they are today. The book ends by describing modern innovations, (including shoes that lace themselves, track the wearer's performance, or have designs that can be instantly changed with the touch of a button), and asks readers to come up with their own logos and designs. Colorful photographs and drawings appear throughout, along with interesting bits of trivia and quotes, and the brightly colored pages add to its readability and eye-catching design. A table of contents, time line of important events, glossary, and index are included. VERDICT This engaging, educational book will appeal to middle grade sneakerheads and fans of books about the history of inventions.--Ashley Larsen

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"[A] clear, close-up look at an invention (versatile, comfortable shoes) that captures affection and loyalty, plus an exhortation to young innovators to think about their own spin on the product. It's also an interesting examination of the ways that professional athletics and personal exercise have evolved over the last century." —Kirkus Reviews

"The How It Happened! series provides energetic, upbeat histories of everyday items that should be familiar to most kids. Pages are filled with eye-catching graphics, sidebars, photos, illustrations, and accessible text pepper with numerous exclamation points." —Booklist

"This colorful, informative nonfiction book leads readers through the fascinating history of sneakers . . . . Colorful photographs and drawings appear throughout, along with interesting bits of trivia and quotes, and the brightly colored pages add to its readability and eye-catching design . . . . This engaging, educational book will appeal to middle grade sneakerheads and fans of books about the history of inventions." —School Library Journal