Publishers Weekly
04/22/2024
Japanese American basketball player Wataru Misaka (1923–2019)—the first player of color to compete in what is now the NBA—is the focus of this tenacity- celebrating biography. Describing him from the jump as an energetic kid, Kim notes how when his Issei parents “couldn’t afford expensive sports equipment... that didn’t stop Wat.” Excluded from whites-only sports leagues, Misaka played basketball in leagues formed by the Japanese American community, played on his junior high and high school teams, and, after his father’s death, additionally worked to support his family. Subsequent pages outline America’s entry into WWII and Misaka’s being taunted by racist basketball fans during college games before being drafted into the U.S. military, where he learned to speak Japanese in the Military Intelligence Service Language School and later traveled to Japan to interview survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb blast. Though his professional career with the New York Knicks was brief, his indomitable spirit broke new ground in basketball. In paneled digital illustrations, Iwata’s use of blurred backgrounds and inset scenes centers the visual narrative and adroitly moves events forward with dramatic side lighting. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and sources conclude. Ages 6–12. (June)
From the Publisher
* "A multilayered picture book that, like the hero at its center, offers so much strength, personality, and invaluable life lessons in a very dense package... Readers of all ages, especially those who love basketball, will rejoice over 'Wat's' triumphs." — School Library Journal, starred review
"Text is well supported by Iwata's bold, appealing artwork, which alternates full-page illustrations with action-packed vignettes... Solid, stirring fare for sports fans." — Kirkus Reviews
"In paneled digital illustrations, Iwata's use of blurred backgrounds and inset scenes centers the visual narrative and adroitly moves events forward with dramatic side lighting." — Publishers Weekly
"[Wat's] groundbreaking status in pro sports is undeniable. " — Booklist
School Library Journal
★ 05/01/2024
K-Gr 4—In a multilayered picture book that, like the hero at its center, offers so much strength, personality, and invaluable life lessons in a very dense package, Kim brings young readers biography, sports story, intergenerational conflict, U.S. and world history, and racism battled on a basketball court. Wataru Misaka (1923–2019) had a word he shared with his dad: gambatte, which to them meant "do your best." Misaka loved playing basketball with members of his community. They created their own basketball league because they were Japanese American and were not allowed to join a league that was for "whites only." Misaka joined his high school basketball team as a junior and led his team to winning their first state championship. His father was so proud of him. Sadly, his father died when he was 15. His mother wanted to return to Japan because she had no money. Misaka went to school, played basketball, and got a job to help his mother support their family and stay in the U.S. He also saw friends and family incarcerated as enemies of America and went to Hiroshima a few months after the bomb was dropped to interview survivors. Despite these heavy events, Kim keeps the narration continuously breezy. Misaka plays basketball for his college team where despite the animosity of white spectators, and though smaller than his teammates, he led them to victory. He went on to become the first non-white man to play for the BBA, the pre-cursor to the NBA. This is an important and impressive story told with art that is almost graphic-novel style. This offsets the often long paragraphs, which necessarily cover the complicated highs and lows of Misaka's life. VERDICT Readers of all ages, especially those who love basketball, will rejoice over "Wat's" triumphs.—Laura Ellis
Kirkus Reviews
2024-03-23
Remembering his father’s words of wisdom, Wataru Misaka, who broke the color barrier in basketball, persevered despite obstacles.
The child of Japanese immigrants, Wataru Misaka (1923-2019) grew up in Ogden, Utah, where his talent for basketball was apparent early on. Wat, as he was known, played on intergenerational Japanese American leagues, as the local sports leagues were for white people only. His father taught him a Japanese word: “Gambatte. Do your best.” It became Wat’s motto while enduring discrimination. Soon after the U.S. entered World War II, hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated; though Wat and his family were safe, the experience took an emotional toll. In college, a segregated dorm system forced him to sleep under the bleachers, and racist spectators heckled him during games. Anti-Japanese sentiments proliferated after the war ended. Undaunted, Wat fought for opportunities to show he belonged; in 1947, he was drafted by the New York Knicks and became the first player of color to join the Basketball Association of America (later renamed the National Basketball Association). Wat gave back to his community, too, bringing a championship blanket to Utah’s Topaz War Relocation Center, where his teammate's family was imprisoned. Kim’s straightforward, at times stiff text is well supported by Iwata’s bold, appealing artwork, which alternates full-page illustrations with action-packed vignettes. An author’s note provides additional biographical details.
Solid, stirring fare for sports fans. (sources) (Picture book. 4-7)
