Michael's Golden Rules

by Deloris Jordan, Roslyn M. Jordan (Editor), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator), Michael Jordan (Introduction)

Overview

New York Times bestselling team Deloris and Roslyn M. Jordan, Michael Jordan’s mother and sister, are back with this inspiring picture book about playing a good game, win or lose—featuring an introduction from Michael Jordan!

Jonathan loves playing with his friend Michael on the Badgers baseball team, but being a Badger isn’t always easy. Lately, his team has been striking out again and again, and Jonathan wants a win more than anything.

But Michael’s Uncle Jack tells the boys that there is a lot more to playing a good game than winning or losing like trying your best, being a team player, and having fun. Once Jonathan starts playing by Jack’s golden rules of baseball, his confidence returns, and win or lose, he feels like a winner.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534495784
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	631,376
Product dimensions:	11.70(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Deloris Jordan is Michael Jordan’s mother and the coauthor of Salt in His Shoes and Michael’s Golden Rules, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; Did I Tell You I Love You Today?, illustrated by Shane W. Evans; and Dream Big, illustrated by Barry Root. She is also the author of Family First: Winning the Parenting Game, a book highlighting the seven principles of parenting. Through her work with the James R. Jordan Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, as well as the Jordan Institute for Families at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mrs. Jordan is widely regarded as an advocate for children and families. The mother of five children and the grandmother of eleven, Mrs. Jordan lives in Chicago.

Roslyn M. Jordan is Michael Jordan’s sister and the coauthor, with Deloris Jordan, of Salt in His Shoes and Did I Tell You I Love You Today?. She lives in Chicago.

Kadir Nelson is an award-winning American artist whose works have been exhibited in major national and international publications, institutions, art galleries, and museums. Nelson’s work has won the Coretta Scott King Award, the Robert F. Sibert Award, two Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Awards, and the 2005 Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. His beloved, award-winning, and bestselling picture books include We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball; Thunder Rose, written by Jerdine Nolen; Ellington Was Not a Street, written by Ntozake Shange; Salt in His Shoes, written by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan; and many more. Kadir lives in Los Angeles.

Read an Excerpt

Michael's Golden Rules

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By Deloris Jordan Roslyn M. Jordan Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books Copyright © 2007 Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-689-87016-3

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Chapter One Jonathan bit his lip as he readied himself to swing. Two outs and bases loaded. The count was 3 and 2. He was ready.

The pitcher wound up. The ball whizzed past Jonathan as he swung and missed. "Strike three, you're out."

Jonathan slowly walked back to the dugout. He could hear calls of "that's okay" and "we'll get them next time," but all he wanted was to go home.

Jonathan walked home from the game with his best friend, Michael, and Michael's uncle Jack. Jonathan was glad Uncle Jack was here today, since Jonathan's mom had had to work.

"You boys played a good game."

Jonathan couldn't help saying, "But we lost. How could we have played a good game when we lost?"

"There's a lot more to a game than winning or losing, Jonathan. It's all about how you play the game. That's what makes a player great. That's what counts."

Jonathan was silent and Michael piped up. "Uncle Jack knows a lot about baseball. Uncle Jack, tell us about the ten golden rules of baseball. The ones you made up when you played in college. Please."

"Why don't you come by tomorrow, boys, and we can talk then." Jonathan couldn't wait.

The next day, Saturday, Michael and Jonathan walked the few blocks from their neighborhood to Uncle Jack's house.

"Hi, boys. I'm glad you came by. I have my book here that Michael told you about - my book of golden rules. These got me through some tough games in school. Maybe they'll help you, too."

Michael and Jonathan read through the rules.

1. Know the game.

2. Pay attention to the coach at all times.

3. Know your opponent.

4. Be a team player.

5. Practice a winning attitude.

6. Find out what you do best.

7. Find out what you need to work on.

8. Practice, practice, practice.

9. Learn from your mistakes.

10. Have fun!

"Wow! Thanks, Uncle Jack!" said Michael.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Michael's Golden Rules by Deloris Jordan Roslyn M. Jordan Copyright © 2007 by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

This follow-up to Salt in His Shoes, which dabbles in the subject's less successful flirtation with baseball, may disappoint fans of the earlier book. The tale opens as young Michael's best friend, Jonathan, strikes out at the end of a game their Little League team loses. Walking home with the lads, Michael's uncle utters the well-worn platitude that there's "a lot more to a game than winning or losing.... It's all about how you play the game." Uncle Jack, a former baseball player, then shares with the boys his book of 10 "golden rules" (e.g., "Pay attention to the coach at alltimes," "Be a team player" and "Have fun!"). These come into obvious play during the big end-of-season game, which the boys' team predictably loses. When the coach assures them that they "played like winners," Jonathan gushes that, despite the loss, he feels good because "we all played together and gave our all." Michael then coos back, "Now, that's what I call a home run." Nelson's (Henry's Freedom Box) oil paintings are oddly uneven here; the artwork ably conveys the boys' emotions yet overall the portraits are marred by inconsistent likenesses of each. Ages 6-10. (Jan.)

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1–3
Written and illustrated by the team responsible for Salt in His Shoes (S & S, 2000), this oversize title looks promising but never reaches its potential. Jonathan and Michael are best friends and baseball teammates. Jonathan is a weak link on their team—he is constantly striking out and making mistakes. However, once introduced to the "ten golden rules of baseball" that Michael's uncle made up when he played college ball, he practices more and improves his performance in the big game against a rival team. Readers will have difficulty believing in Jonathan's speedy transformation from "strike out king" to a better player who accepts the team's loss with maturity. The dialogue is a bit wooden and is filled with clichés. Furthermore, the "ten golden rules" seem to fit an adult agenda and wouldn't mean much to most youngsters without significant explanation. Nelson's illustrations are stunningly realistic and powerful. Readers view characters from multiple vantage points, some so close that one feels part of the action. The story does feature an appealing multicultural cast, and it might have some appeal to children who play team sports.
—Barbara KatzCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Michael Jordan's mother and sister return with another story about his childhood, this one more didactic than Salt in His Shoes (2003). This one is a baseball story, wherein young Jonathan is upset after losing a game. His friend Michael and Michael's Uncle Jack see this as an opportunity to teach Jonathan the ten golden rules of baseball, starting with "Know the game" and "Be a team player" and ending with "Practice, practice, practice" and "Have fun!" Jonathan follows the rules and plays hard, though his Badgers lose anyway, and he and Michael assure themselves that they feel good "because we all played together and gave our all." Though purported to be a family story, it is only a vehicle for the moral, and has no energy of its own; even Nelson's usual dramatic images cannot breathe any life into it. Someone, somewhere, needs to think about some golden rules of writing for children. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews