More than Just a Game: The Black Origins of Basketball

by Madison Moore, Lonnie Ollivierre (Illustrator)

Overview

Kirkus Best Informational Picture Books of 2021

STARRED REVIEW! "Moore's succinct and musical prose pairs well with Ollivierre's dynamic, movement-focused illustrations to outline a rich history of the sport's growth in popularity due to the unique circumstances of the early 20th century."—Kirkus Reviews starred review

A look at how Black players came to shine on the basketball court.

Today, the NBA is around 74% Black but, when basketball first started to catch on, it wasn't easy for Black people to play. They couldn't enter segregated YMCAs or attend privileged colleges. So Black Americans made their own spaces, playing in dance halls before the dancing started, and eventually forming teams called the Black Fives. More than Just a Game celebrates the history of basketball from a Black perspective, revealing how it changed Black communities and how they made the sport into what it is today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807552711
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	09/15/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,063,473
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	AD1110L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Madison Moore is an artist, maker, and writer. She’s a recent graduate of the University of Chicago and an editor. In her free time, you can find her swimming in the lake or playing ultimate frisbee. She is the author of two books. Visit her online at thegirlandthelamb.com.

Lonnie Ollivierre was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, grew up in Brooklyn, and lives in Georgia. He taught himself to draw and paint from comic books he collected. His goal is to inspire, educate, and uplift others through his art.

Editorial Reviews

STARRED REVIEW! "Moore's succinct and musical prose pairs well with Ollivierre's dynamic, movement-focused illustrations to outline a rich history of the sport’s growth in popularity due to the unique circumstances of the early 20th century."—Kirkus Reviews starred review

"This will be useful for reports, and the contagious enthusiasm will shine through during read-alouds. It should prove popular wherever kids are into basketball—which is basically everywhere."—Booklist

"A strong choice for elementary and middle school libraries for its more complete and more nuanced look at the history of basketball."—School Library Journal

Kirkus Best Informational Picture Books of 2021

From the Publisher

10/01/2021

Gr 4–8—A beautifully illustrated introduction to the ways Black Americans impacted the shape and structure of one of America's most popular sports. What isn't often popularized is the way this sport was introduced to the Black community. In this incisive text, readers learn about the Black Fives (all-Black basketball teams that played between 1904 and 1950), the Harlem Globetrotters, and the grueling path to an integrated basketball league. It is written in an engaging format reminiscent of ESPN's behind-the-scenes commentary. The text and the images combine to illuminate the full story of basketball and draw readers into the stands for a bird's-eye view of the game. The quick, light, and pleasurable read is filled with illustrations in a rich color palette, and the elongated bodies of the players highlight the graceful nature of the sport. This would pair well with Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball by Jen Bryant and Steve Sheinkin's Undefeated. VERDICT A strong choice for elementary and middle school libraries for its more complete and more nuanced look at the history of basketball.—Desiree Thomas, Worthington Lib., OH

School Library Journal

★ 2021-07-14
The lamentably untold story of how basketball made its way from peach baskets in all-White YMCAs to dance halls in Black American neighborhoods, then to everywhere else in the world.

Today, the ubiquity of Black and brown faces on basketball courts can be easily taken for granted, but the origins of the sport looked noticeably different when James Naismith purportedly first invented the game in 1891. Moore’s succinct and musical prose pairs well with Ollivierre’s dynamic, movement-focused illustrations to outline a rich history of the sport’s growth in popularity due to the unique circumstances of the early 20th century. Big-city dance halls and ballrooms provided a perfect venue for Black participation in a sport that had previously been exclusive to Whites-only colleges and gymnasiums; a Chicago team was even named after the Savoy Ballroom, where it played. Before it wraps up with the NBA’s transition into an integrated league with the year of its formation in 1949, this book does an excellent job of celebrating the legacies of a few of the Black players, teams, and contributors to the early days of basketball. Readers will appreciate the connections drawn to the sport today, and if they look closely, they may even see some familiar faces in the art.

A brief but nonetheless impressive sports history that is too often overlooked. (player profiles, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews