GOOD SPORTS

True to the subtitle, this collection offers a variety of untitled poems that capture kids’ sports thrills of victory and agonies of defeat. A wry understanding of the nature of children’s athletics informs the whole, from the kid who strikes out swinging and the one who observes, “Baseball is fun / But it gives me the blues / To score ninety-four / And still manage to lose,” to the agile inline skater and the pals just tossing a Frisbee for fun, “Though we aren’t good at all.” Both types of activities and successes (or lack thereof) are thrown together in a happy, well-rounded jumble, so the nothin’-but-net free throw is bookended by a gymnast aspiring to make the team, and an avid swimmer. Raschka’s loose watercolors are characteristically full of movement, swift, broad brushstrokes limning kids, balls and even the air in motion. The players swing, leap, balance and throw with happy abandon, in a visually harmonious complement to the poems. Collections of sports poetry are legion in children’s literature, but there’s room on the shelves for this little gem. (Picture book/poetry. 8-12)