Aside from the lack of continuity of the photographs, as an introduction to lacrosse, this book is a score.
An introduction to the sport of lacrosse for beginners.
Sports Illustrated for Kids presents the basic principles and vocabulary of lacrosse, including the equipment, where it is played, and the positions of each player, as well as describing the differences between women’s and men’s lacrosse. The account follows the format of a game, with scoreboard-type boxes that keep track of the time and quarter. Vocabulary words, such as “cradle,” “face-off,” “slashing,” and “offsides,” are written in big block letters to emphasize importance. Collaged-in photographs of real players engaged in particular actions of the game appear on bright, colored backgrounds. These photographs are of players on different teams, so with each turn of the page there is a loss of continuity. Two little cartoon characters—a boy and girl—appear on each page and add silly commentary and comedic actions, like bringing a vacuum into the game to steal the ball. Other thought and speech bubbles are slapped on above the real-life photographs, adding often mindless but humorous commentary. The writing gives detailed explanations of what to expect in the game, but some of the illustrations can be confusing. Most of the players in the photographs appear to be white; the cartoon girl has brown skin, and the cartoon boy is pale.
Aside from the lack of continuity of the photographs, as an introduction to lacrosse, this book is a score. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 17, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68330-078-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Liberty Street/Time Inc. Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A biography with appeal for sports fans and budding artists alike, it will also beckon to any reader who appreciates a...
Not even the thrill of football could dissuade Ernie Barnes from pursuing his artistic dream.
Born in 1938 in Durham, North Carolina, Ernie grew up a quiet kid in an African-American family with a mother who exposed her children to music and art despite the segregation of museums and performance halls. While his 6-foot-3-inch frame in high school prompted the football coach to recruit him, Ernie never felt as passionately about football as he did about art. He would sit on the bench and sketch the plays anytime he wasn’t on the field, which his coaches did not always appreciate. When Ernie’s successful professional football career slowed, he approached the American Football League (which merged with the National Football League in 1970) to become their official artist. While this is not an own-voices story for Wallace, both her extensive research and her prior career as an ESPN reporter make her well-qualified to tell this story. African-American artist Collier captures Barnes’ life as only another dedicated artist could: with skill, a strong sense of place, and hints throughout of Barnes’ artistic style. Collier’s cover image encapsulates so much of Barnes’ fascinating story that, after reading the book, children can revisit the cover to discover its clues.
A biography with appeal for sports fans and budding artists alike, it will also beckon to any reader who appreciates a well-told, artfully illustrated story. (author’s and illustrator’s notes, resources, quote sources) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4387-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
A bright salutation of a story, with one determined woman at its center.
Pimentel tenders the story of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to (surreptitiously) run the classic Boston Marathon, with illustrations that pay close attention to the route along the way.
Hot on the heels of Kristina Yee and Frances Poletti’s The Girl Who Ran, illustrated by Susanna Chapman (2017), is another rendering of Gibb’s saga. This time the story pivots less around Gibb’s trick to evade the officials than the sheer joy of running—it is as though Gibb is on one long runner’s high, and it’s good fun to run along with her. Readers learn that Gibb trained in nurse’s shoes, making “her feet feel weightless” when she bought proper running shoes (boys’ size six, as there are none for “girls”). Once she was in the race and doffed her sweatshirt to avoid heat exhaustion, she was cheered on by all but the most curmudgeonly marathon watchers. Archer provides the landscape through which the blonde white woman trains and then the marathon path itself. Her artwork is an eyeful, a deep-dish mixture of oil paint and collage with tissue paper and hand-stamped patterned papers as materials. In addition, she adds mile markers and elevation notes to convey the runners’ toils and why it is called “Heartbreak Hill.” The tiny smattering of African-Americans engaged in the race and in the crowds is sad but true.
A bright salutation of a story, with one determined woman at its center. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-101-99668-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
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