By My Brother's Side

August 30, 2004
Professional football stars and twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber score with this gentle, inspiring look at defining moments of their childhood, and the early seeds of their athletic careers. Born "smaller than most babies," the Barbers might have faced a difficult time playing sports. But the boys benefited from a secret weapon they didn't even know they had—an ever-supportive mother who encouraged them to work hard and always be there for each other ("Believe in yourself and others will too," she says). When young Tiki suffers a serious leg injury in a bicycle crash, he's devastated. Ronde never flags in keeping his twin's spirits up, however, and before long the two are tossing a baseball, then a football around like nothing had ever happened. Then, on the eve of their Pee Wee League football season, the boys vow to make it to the top, together, "playing in a big stadium... in front of a great big crowd," Super Bowl–big. Sports fans know that their dream came true. The Barbers, with help from Robert Burleigh, give a warm focus to the family foundation they believe is instrumental to their successes and their lives. Without sounding trite, they appealingly deliver the messages of perseverance and sibling solidarity. Root's sunny watercolors, often accented with lush, green trees, capture action on and off the field, conveying the energy of the Barbers' on-the-go childhood and upbeat attitude. Ages 6-10.

November 1, 2004
Gr 1-5-NFL stars Tiki and Ronde Barber present sports fans with a sun-drenched childhood anecdote about perseverance. Although the twins were "born smaller than most babies," they grew up to be a rowdy pair. The boys never left one another's side until the summer when Tiki took a bad spill from his bike and broke his leg, forcing him to miss the entire baseball season. The narrative follows the siblings' agony during their summer-long separation and their eventual joy at being teammates again. Despite its lengthy, lackluster text and a somewhat anticlimactic ending, the authors' role-model status will attract an audience, and Root's soft, watercolor-and-gouache illustrations will capture readers' imaginations. Vibrant oranges and yellows suffuse the pages, creating a sense of nostalgia. Similar to Deloris and Roslyn M. Jordan's Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream (S & S, 2000), the Barbers' tale will be a popular addition to sports collections.-Ann M. Holcomb, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2004
Gr. 1-3. There's not much of a story in this picture book written by the Barber twins, who both currently play in the NFL. On a summer afternoon, young Tiki breaks his leg in a bicycle accident and spends the next few months laid up, watching Ronde's baseball games and occasionally sneaking out of the house himself to get in some illicit playing time. He gradually recovers, and is ready for football in the fall. Along the way, he listens to plenty of pat phrases about keeping a good attitude. Root's watercolor-and-gouache double-page spreads nicely capture young players in action in a variety of sports. His image of the two brothers sitting by a football field among the orange hues of a waning autumn afternoon is particularly striking. Young fans of the Barber brothers will enjoy this book. Others may wish for a plot with more action and substance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)