Around the World

January 1, 2006
Gr 1-4 -A pickup basketball game in New York City expands to similar scenes of kids and hoops in nine other locations around the world. Cartoon panels show a girl named Tanika leading a fast break, then a page turn shifts to a moonlit court in Perth at the same moment. The Australian kids complete their fast break and subsequent spreads take readers to China, Turkey, and other locations before returning to the finish of the New York game. Comic-book-style artwork captures the speed and motion of the sport with elongated figures and good use of small panels inset within larger views. Game details come through in dialogue bubbles, sound effects ( -thwack! - and -swish -), and play-by-play description: -Vladimir finds Marko, who drives baseline. - The language and look of the players convey their differences, as do the various venues, from an indoor Serbian gym to cool beachside hoops in Puerto Rico. Court action includes arguments, injuries, and rough play, along with fancy passes and finger rolls. This helps reaffirm the commonalities of the sport, regardless of the setting. Tanika's game of -around the world - that begins and ends the book is a slightly forced tie-in to the international theme but serves as a suitable framework for the more fast-paced scenes in between. This title helps fill the need for books about kids from different countries, with particular appeal to fans of comics or basketball or both." -Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.