• Age: 11 to 18
• Grade: 6 to 12
• Reading age: 11 to 18

What do athletes and rocket scientists have in common?

It takes a lot of talent, skill, and hard work to become a world-class athlete. But it takes even more to make a sport better: it takes smarts! And whether innovators are aware of it or not, it takes an understanding of physics, mechanics, and aerodynamics to come up with better techniques and equipment.

From swimming, soccer, and basketball to skateboarding and wheelchair sports, Faster, Higher, Smarter looks at the hard science behind many inventions and improvements in sports. Readers will find out how the introduction of the aluminum bat changed baseball; how a slapshot works, and what’s involved in bending a ball like Beckham. It also covers the history of such milestones as the introduction of diversity, disabled athletes, and women in sport.

Entertaining, informative, and highly visual, this book is the perfect way to introduce scientific concepts to kids who love sports.

When Sheryl and Simon Shapiro met over 35 years ago in South Africa (where they were born and grew up), they had very different interests. Simon had studied subjects like applied mathematics and physics, and worked as a computer programmer. Sheryl had studied print-making and oil painting and worked as an art teacher. Over the years, their lives—and their interests—changed. Simon took up photography as a hobby, learning about color and composition, and now loves visiting art galleries. Sheryl became an art director and book designer, and now spends all day, every day, using a computer.They have other things in common like enjoying music, movies, theater, reading, and spending time with their son Stephen who has written four books for Annick Press. They also discovered that they liked writing humorous rhymes for special occasions. When the opportunity came up to write a book together, they jumped at the chance.Their different abilities and different approaches made working on the book interesting. And there were many happy hours along the way. But they agree that working separately could never have produced the amusing mixtures book called Better Together (2011). Their second rhyming picture book, Slither Slide, What’s Outside? (2012) is a National Parenting Publications Awards, Honor Winner. Now they have written two picture books in verse that explore the concepts of shapes. Ladybugs Have Lots of Spots and Zebra Stripes Go Head to Toe (Fall 2013) combine vibrant photos and bouncy rhymes to introduce young children to the concept of shapes.Sheryl and Simon live in Toronto, Ontario.

Simon Shapiro's profile page

• Winner, Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Award
• Short-listed, American Association for the Advancement of Science SB&F Prize finalist
• Joint winner, TD Summer Reading Club Recommended Reads List
• Nominated, Rocky Mountain Book Award nomination
• Joint winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre
• Joint winner, Top Ten Best Bet, Ontario Library Association
• Nominated, Red Maple Award nomination, Ontario Library Association

“Fun, educational and engaging.”

CM Reviews

“Contains a treasure trove of information for those interested in sports and science. A good purchase for libraries.”

School Library Journal

“Colorful anecdotes and thumbnail sketches . . . help author Simon Shapiro educate as well as entertain readers.”

Science Magazine (American Association for the Advancement of Science)