The lamentably untold story of how basketball made its way from peach baskets in all-White YMCAs to dance halls in Black American neighborhoods, then to everywhere else in the world.
Today, the ubiquity of Black and brown faces on basketball courts can be easily taken for granted, but the origins of the sport looked noticeably different when James Naismith purportedly first invented the game in 1891. Moore’s succinct and musical prose pairs well with Ollivierre’s dynamic, movement-focused illustrations to outline a rich history of the sport’s growth in popularity due to the unique circumstances of the early 20th century. Big-city dance halls and ballrooms provided a perfect venue for Black participation in a sport that had previously been exclusive to Whites-only colleges and gymnasiums; a Chicago team was even named after the Savoy Ballroom, where it played. Before it wraps up with the NBA’s transition into an integrated league with the year of its formation in 1949, this book does an excellent job of celebrating the legacies of a few of the Black players, teams, and contributors to the early days of basketball. Readers will appreciate the connections drawn to the sport today, and if they look closely, they may even see some familiar faces in the art.
A brief but nonetheless impressive sports history that is too often overlooked. (player profiles, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8075-5271-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS
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The life journey of the first African American to serve on the United States Supreme Court and the incidents that formed him.
Thurgood Marshall grew up in segregated Baltimore, Maryland, with a family that encouraged him to stand for justice. Despite attending poor schools, he found a way to succeed. His father instilled in him a love of the law and encouraged him to argue like a lawyer during dinner conversations. His success in college meant he could go to law school, but the University of Maryland did not accept African American students. Instead, Marshall went to historically black Howard University, where he was mentored by civil rights lawyer Charles Houston. Marshall’s first major legal case was against the law school that denied him a place, and his success brought him to the attention of the NAACP and ultimately led to his work on the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education, which itself led to his appointment to the Supreme Court. This lively narrative serves as an introduction to the life of one of the country’s important civil rights figures. Important facts in Marshall’s life are effectively highlighted in an almost staccato fashion. The bold watercolor-and-collage illustrations, beginning with an enticing cover, capture and enhance the strong tone set by the words.
A larger-than-life subject is neatly captured in text and images. (author’s note, photos) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6533-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S HISTORY
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The Celebrate the World series spotlights Lunar New Year.
This board book blends expository text and first-person-plural narrative, introducing readers to the holiday. Chau’s distinctive, finely textured watercolor paintings add depth, transitioning smoothly from a grand cityscape to the dining room table, from fantasies of the past to dumplings of the present. The text attempts to provide a broad look at the subject, including other names for the celebration, related cosmology, and historical background, as well as a more-personal discussion of traditions and practices. Yet it’s never clear who the narrator is—while the narrative indicates the existence of some consistent, monolithic group who participates in specific rituals of celebration (“Before the new year celebrations begin, we clean our homes—and ourselves!”), the illustrations depict different people in every image. Indeed, observances of Lunar New Year are as diverse as the people who celebrate it, which neither the text nor the images—all of the people appear to be Asian—fully acknowledges. Also unclear is the book’s intended audience. With large blocks of explication on every spread, it is entirely unappealing for the board-book set, and the format may make it equally unattractive to an older, more appropriate audience. Still, readers may appreciate seeing an important celebration warmly and vibrantly portrayed.
Lovely illustrations wasted on this misguided project. (Board book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3303-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS
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