Month: December 2020

Swish! The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Don Tate

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Swish! by Suzanne Slade | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Book Trailer Reveal: SWISH! THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS by Don Tate (illustrator) and Suzanne Slade (author) | Nerdy Book Club

Summary:  In 1922,when Chicago’s Wendell Phillips High School basketball team won the division championship, they knew they were some of the best players in the country.  Because they were black, though, they were shut out from the top professional teams.  A group of them was recruited by Abe Saperstein for his new New York Harlem Globetrotters team.  They travelled around the country, playing whatever teams towns could put together, and usually beating them.  To take away the sting of being so dominant on the court, the group started adding tricks and jokes to the games.  Crowds loved them, but they often couldn’t stay in the local hotels or eat in the restaurants.  To prove their equality with white players, the Globetrotters challenged the 1948 Minnesota Lakers team to a game, and beat them, 61-59, repeating the feat a year later to show it wasn’t a fluke.  With NBA ticket sales down and the Globetrotters playing to sold-out crowds, owners had little choice but to start integrating their teams.  The Globetrotters, who have been named America’s Ambassadors of Goodwill, continue traveling around the world, delighting fans with their own special brand of basketball.  Includes additional information, an artist’s note, a list of sources, a timeline, and photos.  40 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  Sports fans will love this story of the Globetrotters.  The text is accessible for primary grades, and the illustrations provide plenty of action and laughs.  The backmatter adds to the value for research.

Cons:  Although the timeline is great, it would have been nice to have some dates in the story itself to place it in historical context.  I remember the Globetrotters from my childhood, but didn’t know they had been around for almost 100 years.

The Old Truck by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey

~ Janet Dawson ~ 5 Comments

Published by Norton Young Readers

The Old Truck: Pumphrey, Jerome, Pumphrey, Jarrett: 9781324005193: Amazon.com: Books
the old truck + sponge stamps craft - This Picture Book Life

Summary:  Before the title page, there’s an illustration of a young couple building a barn with their red pickup parked out front.  The woman is pregnant.  Fast forward several years, and their daughter is old enough to help out, and to use her imagination to pretend that the truck is a boat, airplane, or moon rover.  As she gets older, so does the truck, until it comes to rest by the barn, covered by weeds and snow.  When the young woman returns to take over the farm, she tows the old truck out and gets to work fixing it up.  It takes hard work and long days, but she is able to get both the farm and the truck up and running.  The last page shows her loading up the truck with produce while her own young daughter perches on the tailgate.  48 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  I looked at this book shortly after it came out in January, and ultimately decided not to review it.  I must have been out of sorts (or out of my mind) that day, because almost a year later, I loved it.  The illustrations, created by over 250 handcrafted stamps, tell the story as much or more than the spare text.  The back flap says that the Pumphrey brothers were inspired by strong women in their Texas home, especially their single mom and great-grandmother who bought a farm with the money she earned picking cotton.  Caldecott committee, pay attention!

Cons:  I was a bit confused at first when the truck became a boat, an airplane, and a moon rover.

On the Horizon by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Kenard Pak

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

On the Horizon: Lowry, Lois, Pak, Kenard: 9780358129400: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Lois Lowry lived in both Hawaii and Japan as a child, and her poems here reflect some of her experiences in those two countries during World War II.  The bulk of the poetry, though, relates personal stories, both of people aboard the Arizona and those living in Hiroshima.  The poems are written in a variety of styles, and most are accompanied by an illustration.  Includes an author’s note telling of her experiences that influenced this book.  Most remarkable is her interaction with a Japanese boy named Koichi Seii, who moved to the U.S. as an adult and changed his name to Allen Say, becoming an award-winning illustrator and Lowry’s friend.  Aso includes a bibliography.  80 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  By focusing on individuals (many of them children or young adults), Lowry really personalizes the tragedy of war.  The details may be too sad or disturbing for younger kids, but middle school students will find a lot to discuss in these poems.

Cons:  I wish there had been some information about the different forms of poetry used.