A straightforward sports fantasy with invaluable lessons for young ballplayers.
Basketball-loving Maxwell shows up to Basketball Town with hoop dreams…and a lot to learn.
Basketball Town is exactly what it sounds like, a world where basketball-shaped mountains loom in the distance, balls flow from waterfalls like wet jump shots, and even rainbows are basketball printed, all brought to life by Johnson’s charming digital illustrations. Maxwell immediately recognizes this as “THE BEST PLACE EVER” when he arrives after falling asleep one night. But eventually he discovers that competition in a town with only one thing on its mind is tough. Even the Mayor recognizes that Maxwell needs to work on his skills—in the appropriately named suburb of Skillsville. The ensuing training montage is as motivational as it is silly. Maxwell takes classes at “the College of the Crossover” and gets his “dunking diploma from Phi Slamma Jamma.” He’s good but still needs more work according to the Mayor, who looks curiously like Maxwell’s dad. The importance of dedication and teamwork is the ultimate takeaway of Maxwell’s stint in Basketball Town and something that carries him through the impromptu championship game he checks into with five minutes left—he scores the winning bucket!—all the way to when he awakes to real-world basketball practice with his team and supportive dad; readers will come away with good pointers on how to become strong athletes. Maxwell, his dad, and the Mayor are Black; Basketball Town is diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A straightforward sports fantasy with invaluable lessons for young ballplayers. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781536219777
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown.
In Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Hurts’ motivational picture book, a youngster rebounds from disappointment.
As Jalen heads off on his first day of school, he daydreams about joining the football team, but his friend Trey soon breaks the bad news. The garden club needed more space for vegetables, so the football field was used for planting. There will be no football this year. Jalen is despondent, but his teachers Mrs. Lee and Mr. Barry and bodega owner Mr. Muhammad offer guidance that spurs him and his friends into positive action. They work to flip a nearby empty lot into a football field, with Jalen echoing his mentors’ adages. Once the field is complete, Jalen feels a swell of pride in his and his friends’ work. While the idea of kids working together to effect change is a laudable one, the bland, wordy storytelling won’t inspire young people or hold their attention. Tired, cliched inspirational comments peppered throughout often slow down the narrative, and many adult readers will find the premise—a school dropping a high-interest sports program in favor of a community garden—wildly unrealistic. Though the illustrations are colorful, with a Disney Junior charm, strange stylistic choices, such as signs with odd combinations of scribbles instead of letters, give them an unpolished look. Like Hurts, Jalen is Black; his community is diverse.
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217040308
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
