Run, Mo, Run!

September 25, 2020

Gr 1-3-Mo, a Black child, is excited for the relay race after school. The only problem is that he keeps dropping the baton during practice and is distracted all day. How will he and his friend win? Adler continues his collection of Mo stories; as always, the plot is rooted in relatable sporty interests, written in simple short words, but telling a complex story. This one includes Mo and his friends, their worries about the race, their practice, the school day, the race itself, and the rewards. At no point is it too much for a reader to work through any issue of pacing or word choice. Ricks's illustrations also help explain the steps of the story, in tandem with the words. VERDICT Adler and Ricks continue provide another sports-themed beginning reader book to students on the verge of moving into chapter books.-Margaret Kennelly, Media Specialist, Indian Head Elem. Sch., MD

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
Mo has played football, baseball, basketball, and soccer--now he's running track. Mo, Jenna, and Dov will be a team in a relay race after school, so they practice passing their baton to one another after lunch, Mo pocketing his jelly doughnut to eat later. They use Jenna's straw for the baton, and try as he might, Mo cannot maintain his grip on it. Later on, Mo finds the straw a distraction while in class. After school the track meet commences, and Mo stands close enough to the long jump that his friend Fran crashes into him, smashing the doughnut in his pocket. Mo happily eats the messy sweet treat, and then it's time for the relay race, which Mo is anchoring. Their opponents drop the baton just as Jenna hands it to Mo, and thanks to the jelly all over his hand, he holds on all the way to the finish line! In Ricks' friendly illustrations, Mo and Jenna both have brown skin and Afro-textured hair while Dov and Fran present White; their classmates are diverse. This fourth series entry is, like its predecessors, a great book to help emerging readers use context clues to infer words' meanings. It will also help readers recognize the beginning, middle, and ending sounds of words--during class, the children practice AT words such as CAT and MAT, not to mention BATon. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) A solid addition to the early-reader shelf. (Early reader. 5-8)

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