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Author: Alison Hawes
Publisher: Hameray
Genre: Teens / Sports
ISBN: 978-1-60559-003-5
Pages: 48
Price: $9.95

Buy it from Hameray

Basketball is a fun sport for boys and girls of all ages. But how is it played, and who are all those people on the court? If basketball looks interesting to you and you want to know more about its history, stars, and rules, you’ll need to read Download Basketball.

Basketball is a fast-paced game, and this book is set up to be a fast read. Position players, scorekeepers, and referees are all introduced, with explanations of what each does. Court markings and how they’re used to score, and what to wear to stay cool and comfortable, help in learning to play the game. And no book about any sport would be complete without a history of its beginnings, as well as legends who dazzled the crowds with their prowess.

The Download series was created to support striving readers for whom reading is a difficult or frustrating task. This series would be great in engaging kids ages 9-14, reading at age level 7-8.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

An elevator ride that’s too short?

Who ever heard of that? We all stare at the numbers on the panel waiting for our floor # to flash and then push out the doors rapid-fire. No matter how few floors, elevators always seem too slow, like watching a pot of water come to boil.

But today the elevator ride was too short. Too quick for me to act.

I’m in Denver, in the midst of some of the tallest young ladies under 20 I’ve ever seen. It is the US national volleyball tournaments and I’ve been surrounded by these impressive teens everywhere I go.  Healthy, clean cut, pleasantly mannered, each having lots of fun with family & friends.

Except one, who looked about 16.

She followed me into the elevator, then her parents. They stood in front of us with their back to her. Their daughter. Dad started saying she had her worse day ever, clearly talking about her performance in the day’s match. She said her serves were bad but her total day wasn’t bad. Not everything she did was bad. Her mom scoffed, glancing at her and made some cutting wisecrack. They stomped out of the elevator deriding her, and she following in their dust saying Fine, be that way.

When it first started, I waited to see how she reacted to them. Amazingly competent. Clearly hurt and hurting badly, yet maintained composure and didn’t lash out at them.  They couldn’t see how hurt she was BECAUSE THEY WOULDN’T LOOK AT HER OTHER THAN TO GIVE HER PARTING GLARES, but surely, as parents, they knew it in their hearts. I tried to open my mouth, to tell her how honored I was to be next to one of the best in the entire country regardless of how lousy her day was.  The doors opened and they left before I could croak out a sound.

She shuffled behind them with her head hanging down. Isn’t it bad enough to know her teammates will likely rib her too? That, in her eyes, the whole world saw her lousy serves? That she needed their hugs more than anything today and instead they ganged up on her like bullies? With parents like that, who needs enemies?

The elevator ride was just too short.

Ben Towle’s baseball sketches remind us that pitchers and catchers have already reported.

We hope everyone had a great President’s Day! The month of February has been filled with some fascinating diversity-related stories. Here are just a few that we’ve been following; if you’ve got more February news stories, feel free to share them in the comments below!

In a matter of weeks, Knicks player Jeremy Lin has gone from bench-warmer to star athlete. His incredible success on the court has prompted questions about whether his ethnicity had anything to do with his slow rise to the top as well as some interesting race-related memes. Ultimately, though, the most important aspect of this story may be that tons of people now have a great new role model.

New statistics show that interracial marriages in the US have hit an all-time high of 1 in 12 marriages. Experts attribute the rise to growing pools of Asian and Hispanic immigrants, and say the increase could lead to better racial relations long-term. “Mixed-race children have blurred America’s color line,” said Daniel Lichter, a sociology professor at Cornell University. Meanwhile, HBO gives a look at one interracial couple who fought for the right to marry.

Arizona legislators continue to push for a prohibition of “partisan doctrine” from Tuscon schools. Tuscon’s award-winning Mexican American Studies Program was recently shut down and several books used in the curriculum were removed from classrooms. Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature has a comprehensive timeline of how things have played out here.

And of course it’s Black History Month! If you haven’t entered our giveaway yet, what are you waiting for?

 4 Stars This summer the Olympics are back, this time in London.  From July 27th to August 12th television sets around the world will tune in to watch the games, some of which are only seen during the Olympics, such as archery, fencing, and this year trampolining.  More than 10,000 athletes from close to 200 [...]

It’s a story of twists and turns as only a 9-7 season can be, but perhaps the most incredible thing about
this online graphic novel chronicling the New York Giants’ championship season is that it is being created by someone known as Chris in Philly. Preferring to remain anonymous—surely because his fellow Philadelphians would egg bomb his house if they knew about it—Chris is using Photoshopped archival materials to tell the exciting story of how Eli Manning led his team to a Super Bowl upset of the New England Patriots. It’s a classic story of the underdog coming out on top.

But he’s not just influenced by the Giants’ late season comeback and crisp execution under pressure. Chris told NFL.com that he heavily borrowed from Alan Moore’s techniques. “I do really like ‘Watchmen’ by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons,” he says, “and I most certainly borrowed a lot from it. The entire idea of Eli’s journal is from there. I took the line about being ‘locked in’ with him directly from ‘Watchmen.’ The very shape and color of the text boxes are from ‘Watchmen.’ So, once I essentially made Eli the Rorschach character, that set the tone, and all I had to do was make it about yet another glorious run through the playoffs.”

Right. Eli Manning would make a great Rorschach. “Packer carcass in alley this morning, Cruz tread on torn hamstring. This city is in love with me, and I know because they had a ticker tape parade and I star in those Toyota commercials.”

In any event, if DC is looking for creators For Before Before Watchmen, here’s their man.

[Thanks to Torsten for the link.]

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2008, 256 pp, ISBN: 0385733100

Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café.  I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share.  More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents.  There is an allure to a beautiful cover.  Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?

I love the covers for Jaci Burton’s Play by Play series.  I even bought Perfect Play based solely on the cover.  I’m even certain that one day soon I will be able to fit it into the schedule and actually read it, instead of just starting at the hawt guy on it.  While I think the cover for Playing to Win is the least attractive, it still has a visual appeal that I can’t deny.

In stores September 2012

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I wrote my first post for I.N.K. on February 8, 2008, just five days after the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The subject was “Rooting—and Writing—for the Underdog,” and it explored my soft spot for underdogs, especially in sports and women’s history. Four years later, the same two teams are about to meet again in the world’s most talked about football game (American football, that is), and I still gravitate to sports as a terrific framework through which to explore history. But in light of recent news and events, my enthusiasm is somewhat tempered.

Despite being a lifelong football fan, I can no longer watch a professional or college football contest without being aware of the devastating effects that the violence of the game has on the human body, particularly the brain. After years of ignoring and then denying these effects, the National Football League has finally accepted the overwhelming medical evidence, much of it gathered through research on the brains of deceased players. The league is even planning to run a commercial addressing player safety during this year’s Super Bowl. But owning up to the problem is just the beginning. The jury is still out on whether changes to the rules and equipment can do enough to protect players from the long-term effects of repeatedly jostling their brains during tackles and collisions.

Another recent devastating development in the sports world was the January 19 death of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke from injuries during a training run on a half-pipe in Utah. Burke, one of the premier athletes in her sport, flipped over after an uneventful run and struck her head, tearing an artery that caused a hemorrhage in her brain. The hemorrhage led to cardiac arrest, depriving her brain of oxygen and causing irreversible damage.

After Burke’s death at age 29, New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire remembered meeting her at an ESPN event and asking why she chose freestyle skiing, with its gravity-defying spins, twists, and flips. “Because it’s fun,” she told him. In the wake of the tragedy, however, some critics wondered if extreme sports such as freestyle skiing have gotten too extreme. They pointed out that the height of the walls of the half-pipe, the icy trench used in some snowboarding and freestyle skiing events, has increased from 16 to 22 feet, adding excitement, but also risk. Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, told ABC News that in light of Burke�

This is a great time of year to be a sports fan. You've got college football, pro football, college basketball and...well, we usually have NBA basketball now too, but this year it will be--different. (Don't get me started on that!) Anyway, Charlotte is a great place to be a sports fan. We've got the Panthers for football, the Checkers for minor-league hockey, and the Bobcats for pro basketball--that is, now that we finally get basketball! (Don't get me started again!) Plus, North Carolina has one the great roundball rivalries of all time--Duke and Carolina. So this is a good time of year to tell you about a really good book called How Football Works by Keltie Thomas.

It's only 64 pages long but it's chock-full of information and fun facts. You can find out about the basics of football--how it started, how the ball got its shape, what the playing positions are, etc. Then you can find out more, like information on the football field (how do they keep grass green in winter?) or what it takes to be a quarterback (you have to amazingly smart as well as strong) or just how much equipment a player wears (it's a LOT!) On top of that, there are very interesting sidebars, timelines, and a recurring section called Legends of the Game. This is an extremely interesting book and every football fan should check it out. If you're brand-new to the game, you'll learn what football is all about. If you're a long-time fan, you'll find out things you never knew. Either way, this book is a big-time winner. I was lucky enough to get a copy from the very nice people at Owl Kids Press, but you could find one at your local library. So hut one, hut two--make that run and get it!
(PS--there's even a sidebar about the Panthers's own DeAngelo Williams!)

What was a little surprising in this list of sporty gals is the prevalence of soccer as the sport of choice.  I guess it is called “the most beautiful game” for a reason.  We would like to augment this list with further Australian titles so if there is a title that you know is missing, add it in comments!

Soccer-centric:

Grace Faltrain series by Cath Crowley (soccer)
Shutout by Brendan Halpin (soccer)
Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best by Maria Padian (soccer and dance)
Pretty Tough series by various authors (soccer)
Breakaway by Andrea Montalbano (soccer)

Everything else:

• Dairy Queen series by Catherine Murdock Gilbert (US football/basketball)
• Netball or Nothing by Bernadette Hellard (netball)
• Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe (dancing)
• Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati (dancing)
• Gracey by James Moloney (running)
• Surf Ache by Gerry Bobsien (surfing)
• Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager (surfing)
• Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (US football)
• The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane (baseball)
• Whip It! by Shauna Cross (roller derby)
• The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner (cross country – younger)
• The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanan (running)
• Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes (basketball)
• Boost by Kathy Mackel (basketball)
• Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley (snowboarding)
• The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols (snowboarding)
• Total Horse Mad by Kathy Helidoniotis (horse riding – 9-14)
• Breathless by Jessica Warren (swimming)
• Open Court by Carol Clippinger (tennis)

By David Potter

The streets are packed. People are singing and shouting. They are wearing team colors; they are drinking, eating, fighting and betting.

These fans are not in Green Bay, East Lansing, Philadelphia or Madison. They are in Constantinople, capital of the Roman Empire in 500 AD. They are going to watch chariot races. Some of them will have buried curse tablets around the track asking the demons of the underworld to wreck opposing teams. Others would have been slipping around the stables to sniff horse manure to gauge how teams were going to do. One fan would be so distraught when a famous driver died that he would throw himself on to the funeral pyre! Whole sections of a city would back one team or another, and ancient sports bars provided spots where fans met their heroes.

How different are these people from those of us who pour into stadia around the country to watch their favorite football teams, whether professional or collegiate? Team sports shape communities, whether the short-lived ones assembling for three or four hours at a game, or the larger ones of people who might not get to every (or any) games in person, but still have the team colors, and identify, if only briefly, each week with the their team’s success or failure. Other fans are more proactive. A great win or loss can set off celebrations or sadness extending long into the night until they are lit by the glow of blazing cars or accompanied by the sounds of shattering store fronts. Faced with such a sight, a Roman would know exactly what to do. One riot in Constantinople ended with much of the center city in ashes and thousands dead.

Why do we have this culture, and why, for that matter, did they? Colleges and Universities turned to sports just before the turn of the last century to build bridges between themselves and their broader constituencies which could not participate directly in the excitement of academic discovery, and to forge links between groups of students studying specialized disciplines which divided them from their classmates. Stadiums became focal points of local pride because the activities within them were about people.

The organization that grew up to regulate College Sports, arose out of scandal (deaths on the football field which attracted the attention of Teddy Roosevelt as his son was about to take up the sport at the college level) while pro sports leagues developed in response to fan interest have proved very hard to regulate. Since they tend to reflect the convergence of fan interest with that of management, they are economically independent of theoretical regulators in governments that have largely ceded control to these very groups. Management historically has been interested in maximizing profit and prestige, while fans want greater access and greater excitement, but they can’t do it all on their own. Really powerful sports leagues are products of relatively stable political and economic times—much as the Olympics served as a surrogate for Cold War rivalries from the Fifties through the Eighties, the Olympic movement, and World Cup competitions, have exploded since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Ancient Greece and Rome offer us the only other time in human history when as much attention was paid to sport, especially in the first general peace and prosperity three centuries AD enabled a vast increase in spending on sport and continuing for a much longer period of time in major cities where sporting organizations were integrated into the political hierarchy. The most significant sports organizations of the Greek and Roman worlds—the self governing international association of professional athletes in Olympic contests, chariot racing organizations known as factions and gladiatorial troupes—came into being at points of weak governmental control. Circus factions existed in Rome when the state was

By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 3, 2011

It’s such a pleasure to introduce children to new subjects, such as dance, through literature. Watching them discover a new love for learning about a topic they’ve yet to explore is pure joy. These books will open a ballroom door to the world of dance in its wide variety of forms, from the gypsies who migrated from India to Spain to the prima ballerina who dedicates her life to her craft.

The Barefoot Book of Dance Stories

By Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple

The Barefoot Book of Dance Stories by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple is an eclectic collection including dance tales from Germany (The Twelve Dancing Princesses) Japan (Robe of Feathers) West Indies (Making the Stone Smoke) Spain (The Shepherd’s Flute) Czech Republic (Dancing with the Birch Fairy) Egypt (When The Goddess Danced) Scotland (Tam O’Shanter) and Mali (The Little Bird Who Went Dancing). Helen Cann’s paintings move and sinuate across the pages with brilliantly colorful strokes. Best of all, this book includes a CD with lively background music and grand dame of stage and screen Juliet Stevenson narrating the stories with her warm and gentle voice. (Ages 8 and up)

Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince

By Grace Maccarone; illustrated by Christine Davenier

Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince is an amusing tale of a classroom of little ballerinas who must welcome a new student, a boy. Quelle horreur! Grace Maccarone’s book is somewhat reminiscent of the Madeline and the Bad Hat (although this boy is not nearly as horrid as Pepito) with its rhyming lilt and even Christine Davenier’s illustrations remind me a bit of the little girls in Paris visiting the zoo with dear Miss Clavel. No need to fear, the prince doesn’t upstage the girls and all’s well that ends well for the little ballerinas of Messina. (Ages 3-6)

Ole! Flamenco

By George Ancona

Why do some kids (and their favorite adults) love various sports and others not so much? Part of it has to do with exposure. Many kids grow up with an ingrained love of certain sports passed down generation after generation. Same goes when choosing favorite sports teams. My kids root for the Packers, the Brewers, and the Badgers, as does our entire extended family.

With exposure comes familiarity. If a kid is familiar with a sport, he or she will also likely feel more confident participating. I started playing t-ball when I was around six years old. I went on to enjoy athletics in school and played on many different team sports throughout my school career. While I don't participate in any organized sports now, I do enjoy watching and sharing my love of sports with my family.

Sleeping Bear Press has published a series of board books that focus on the basics of several different types of sports. The Little Sports Series books turn learning about the various sports into a guessing game for young kids. All the books feature the same design. Each book consists of ten rhyming riddles with picture teasers, one per page. After listening to a rhyming riddle and viewing the corresponding picture teaser, kids use the clues to guess each fundamental of the game.

Little Baseball (Little Sports) by Brad Herzog, illustrated by Doug Bowles. Sleeping Bear Press (February 2011); ISBN 9781585365470; board book

Sample riddle: "Hit the ball? / You surely could / with a mighty swing / of this piece of wood."

Baseball terms covered: Bat, Pitcher, Home Plate, Baseball, Umpire, Baseball Glove, Scoreboard, Hot Dog, Baseball Cap, Bench


Little Football (Little Sports) by Brad Herzog, illustrated by Doug Bowles. Sleeping Bear Press (February 2011); ISBN 9781585365463; board book

Sample riddle: "It's full of air /

I'm still a little disappointed the Brewers didn't make it to the World Series. No National League Championship pennant this year. That's OK, though. Despite the outcome of the playoffs, the Brewers still had a record breaking season and we will remain loyal to the Brew Crew.

We decided to make our own pennant flags to celebrate the Brewers impressive 2011 season. A pennant is a triangular shaped flag typically used to show support for a sports team. Baseball pennant flags have been around since the turn of the twentieth century and vintage pennants are highly collectible.

Most full size pennants measure about 12" x 30." Traditionally pennants were made of wool or felt, although thinner, stiffer pennants are now produced and are available for sale at ballparks and online. However, it is much cheaper to make a homemade version!

This design could easily be adapted to make personalized name pennant banners to display in your child's room, too.

Materials:

30" long piece of heavy interfacing (available at fabric stores)
Tacky glue (I use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue)
Felt
Acrylic Paint
Paint brush
Pencil
Scissors or rotary cutter
Yardstick
Clear Tape
Paper
Computer and Printer

1. Use a ruler and pencil to draw a triangle measuring 12" x 30" onto the interfacing. Cut out the triangle using scissors or rotary cutter. (Interfacing is a pretty inexpensive material and works perfectly as pennant flag material. It is stiffer and thinner than felt. It is also see-though, making it easy trace a pattern onto your pennant. The 30" piece cost me a little under $2.)


Decorate the pennant with paint and felt. In this example I painted on yellow and gold stripes and glued felt letter cut-outs to the pennant. How you choose to decorate your pennant is completely up to you!

2. To add painted decorations: Thin the acrylic paint with a few drops of water and carefully apply thinned paint to pennant with a paint brush or foam brush. Before I painted I drew a stripe design onto the banner and then painted yellow and gold stripes using the design as a guide.


3. To add felt letters: I used Microsoft Word to design a template to make my slanted letters. I created a text box, choose the Britannic Bold font and applied the following Text Effect: Transform - fade right. You'll have to play around with the font size to get the desired effect and make the font decrease along with the width of the flag.

Author Showcase

By Sunn Byrd, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: October 13, 2011

The Players are four sports characters who’s names are Dunk, Strike, Score, and Touchdown also know as T.D.

The Players promote good health through sports and daily physical activities, along with social interaction and good sportsmanship.

Take the pledge and join “The Players” Never Quit, Stay Active and Fit! Campaign

Let’s Fight Childhood Obesity

Hiking We Go!

The Players set out for an adventurous day of hiking. Touchdown (T.D.) gets lost in the woods and is unable to find the rest of the gang. He realizes that he did not pack any safety gear to signal the gang for help. (T.D.) learns the valuable lesson of how important it is to follow the rules and put safety first when exploring.

Visit: www.theplayersanimatedseries.org

Watch: THE PLAYERS Video

The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. This article was provided by the author. Learn more …

©2011 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

Here's a Brewers blast from the past! I've been a fan my entire life, and I'm so excited to see them make it to the National League Championship Series. Hope they can win another pennant and advance to the World Series. The last time a Brewers team was this good, I was the same age as my daughter!

This picture was taken outside the park, I think. Apparently my parents forgot to take their camera along to the game!



At County Stadium a few years later, watching Robin Yount.




Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Children’s Ezine Guardian Angel Kids: October 2011 – boundless adventures of sports and activities http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com

From Amazon:

My thoughts:

This isn’t a review, as much as it’s a brief tour through this handsomely produced photo book about football.  While I am not a die-hard football fan, I do possess more than a passing interest in the game.  I was dismayed to see my hometown team, the Lions, at the #1 rank for the biggest losers list, but I certainly can’t dispute that they have delivered more than their share of disappointment to Detroit.  So, being a fair weather fan, I usually root for the Buffalo Bills or Denver Broncos.  Why? They have the coolest uniforms, in my humble opinion.

If you have a young football fan at home, this book should tickle their funny bone.  It is packed full of bright, colorful photographs, with intense action shots on almost every page.  The page layouts are visually appealing, with eye-catching bursts of color from the pictures contrasting with cleverly placed text and white spaces to lend more drama to the action taking place on the pages.

Interested in knowing who are the smallest of the NFL players?  How about the biggest?  Who makes up the best Passer-Receiver Duo?  All of that information, and more, is jammed into this book.  Some of my favorite lists, though, have nothing to do with the game, but instead have everything to do with the vivid personalities that make up the game.  Most memorable hairstyle?  Best accessories?  Most colorful personalities?  You will also find all of those and more in this book.

1st and 10 will appeal to football fans, and even if you aren’t totally enamored with the game, you won’t be able to stop yourself from flipping through this book.  The included trivia is interesting, and covers so many topics that even the most casual of fans will find something to catch their attention.

Review copy provided by publisher

In stores October 25, 2011

©2011 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.