Swish! - by Suzanne Slade (Hardcover)

About the Book

A picture book presentation of the history of the exhibition basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters.

Book Synopsis

The true story of the high-flying Harlem Globetrotters -- the team that changed basketball forever.

In this book you will find one-finger ball-spinning, rapid-fire mini-dribbling, and a ricochet head shot!
You will find skilled athletes, expert players, and electrifying performers -- all rolled into one!
You will find nonstop, give-it-all-you've-got, out-to-win-it, sky's-the-limit BASKETBALL!
You will find The Harlem Globetrotters, who played the most groundbreaking, breathtaking ball the world had ever seen. With rhythmic writing and dynamic illustrations, Swish! is a celebration of the greatness, goodness, and grit of this remarkable team.

Review Quotes

Praise for Swish!:
An Illinois Monarch Award Master List Book
A Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee
A South Carolina Book Award Nominee
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book
A Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts (National Council of Teachers of English)
A Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List Book
A Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District's Horned Toad Tale List Book

"[Author] Slade has done careful, thorough research, easily engaging young readers as they learn about the Globetrotters' groundbreaking history. Veteran illustrator Tate creates constant movement, visually underscoring the title with dynamic (sometimes impossible) perspectives and basketballs caught in stop-motion fashion as they fly across the court.... From beginning to end, fans will feel connected to the dynamic style of the Globetrotters and how they influenced American history."--Kirkus Reviews

"Dynamic.... This well-researched, accessible picture book makes this story bounce off the page."--School Library Journal

"Peppy.... Tate's illustrations, done digitally in his usual big-hearted-caricature style, are an ideal match for the subject."--The Horn Book

"Tate's dynamic digital pictures capture the players' perseverance as they prove instrumental in integrating pro basketball and score legions of fans, and a comprehensive timeline rounds out the book.... An enthusiastic tribute to a groundbreaking team."--Publishers Weekly

2023 Monarch Award Nominee--Goodreads

About the Author

Suzanne Slade is the award-winning author of more than one hundred children's books, including A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon, Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon, Dangerous Jane, and Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. She lives with her husband outside Chicago, Illinois, where the magic of the Globetrotters first began. She invites you to visit her online at suzanneslade.com.

Don Tate is an award-winning author and illustrator of numerous books for children, including No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas, Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth, and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. Don lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and son, and he invites you to visit him online at dontate.com.