New Boston Celtic Lamar Stevens Joins the Ranks of Athlete Picture Book Authors in Boston
NBA Insider for The Athletic and Stadium Shams Charania reported today that the Boston Celtics have signed G/F Lamar Stevens.
In addition to being an NBA Player, Lamar Stevens is also a picture book author. When he was college, “Lamar Stevens teamed up with LifeLinkPSU and Special Olympics PA” to write a children’s book titled “Lamar’s Climb: A Journey To Happy Valley” which was illustrated by children with special needs.
The 16 page book “documented Lamar’s journey from Philadelphia to State College and which was colored by six special needs kids connected to the Nittany Lions program.”
Interestingly enough, Stevens is not the only player with Boston sports ties who has written a picture book. Former Boston Celtic’s big man Tacko Fall wrote a children’s books that came out last year. You can read my review here: Book Review: Tacko Fall: To New Heights by Tacko Fall & Justin Haynes (illustrated by Reggie Brown) — Ideas and Innovations In Early Childhood Education (earlychildhoodeducationandcare.com)
Former New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett also wrote a picture book which you can learn more about here: Martellus Bennett Writes the Books He Would Have Loved as a Kid - The Atlantic
While they are not authors, former Patriots Malcolm Mitchell, Devin and Jason McCourty have all worked on initiatives to inspire children to read more. You can learn more about that here Inspired By McCourty Twins, Young Brothers Take Reading To The Next Level - CBS Boston (cbsnews.com)
It is great seeing athletes writing books and inspiring children to read. In general, it is the belief of this author that sports, reading, and early childhood development all go hand in hand. Below is a selection of articles that I have written related to that.
