Charles R. Smith, Jr.Rezensionen

I think that this would be a good read aloud book with primary school children. This book is about Bessie the Motorcycle Queen, an African American lady, who lives life on the road following where her penny takes her. This book is set in the 1930s. I think that it would be useful for helping teach your class how it was back in those times for an African American women.

This book would be good for Intermediate ages based on depth of story content and length of book. This book follows the true story of Bessie Springfield and her cross country motorcycle adventures. I personally think this would be a great book to use in the classroom to use during Black History Month or when learning about segregation and racial injustice.

When ever I read this title, Jim Goche starts playing in my head. He was singing about Roller Derby Queen, but I easily change it to Motorcycle Queen. I think Bessie would have liked it. Bessie was a woman before her time. She was free with her own set of wheels to take her any place at the flip of a penny. This book does an excellent job of giving the reader a window to her world. The author made poetry, and did not miss the hard, or the sad parts. Everything was coved from her wins to her chases. Add the amazing illustrations on top, and this book is just excellent.½

Okay. This is mostly "slice-of-life" set in Compton. It gave me a real perspective on puberty for boys. Some of the "girls/women" talk was a little... idk. F**kboy-ish? But maybe that's what dudes really think.

Anyway, a pretty good read.

I knew nothing about Bessie Stringfield, but I now find her story fascinating. A coin flip to determine where you will go travelling next?! A black woman riding a motorcycle all over...including the American South in the 1920's and '30's?! Unheard of and yet inspiring.

What I really appreciated is that this book is simple enough for children (rhyming text that doesn't overwhelm each page) but again strong vocabulary is used. Additionally, this book is honest about Jim Crow laws and Klan involvement. What she undoubtedly experienced. I appreciate that as a mom who wants her daughter to learn all sides of history.

Looking a bit dated by now

WOW! Such a magnificent book-- and ode to the author's people, the Black community. Langston Hughes's words with Charles R. Smith Jr.'s photography set the tone that the author is so proud of their roots and sees the beauty in all of them. Langston shares this with the reader, and you can feel each line's admiration and strength. An excellent poetic read!

A dozen poems play homage to the same number of basketball stars.

This is the third book in a collection of poems, centered around basketball. It's a short collection with only twelve poems, one on each two-page spread. There's a table of contents in the beginning, so that readers can immediately locate a poem about a specific player. At the end of the book, the author explains the inspiration behind each poem and player briefly.

This book makes a solid impression already from the cover on. It holds a basketball-textured siding and keeps the rest simple but clear and eye-pleasing. The illustrations inside follow the same concept, in so far that the highlighted player is clear (black and white photo with colored uniform) while the background is extremely simple and unimportant. The poem is written in larger, bold font with the title huge and bold, and the player's name underneath and obvious. Some poems are short, others longer, but all are easy to read and flow with a similar tick as a real-life game.

The author has chosen twelve, well-known players from the NBA, taken their strengths or known highlights, and let the creative juices flow in a way, which matches the excitement of playing the game. The phrases are short, clip, and spot-on. Some poems are simply a lot of fun, while others take a bit more word play and depth. I'm not sure readers of the age group will grasp everything, especially in one or two poems, but for the most part, they come over very age appropriate. If nothing else, there's a little to learn about most of the players, and that does make it interesting.
I received a complimentary copy and loved how this had the same rhythm as playing a game.

I absolutely fell in luv with this book. I love the poetry of it. It has very good players and tells about them perfectly. I definitely recommend this book to all.

I absolutely loved this book. It has great Basketball players and is spot-on describing them as well as their talent in the game. The poetry is amazing and was a very few fun and exciting read. I definitely recommend to all sports lovers.

3.5 stars. I received this book as an early reviewer. I did enjoy it, and liked the majority of poems. A few I found too short or not personal enough to the player but some were perfect like Steph Curry’s and Luka Dončič’s. Because of this, I also learned a bit about each of the players. My favorite part were the notes at the end. It was interesting to see what led the author to write the verses that he did. I think mid grade students will enjoy this book.

These basketball player poems are mostly good, but I don't know that they will all reach the intended audience. Young children interested in sports might not get the gods and goddesses references in the Giannis Antetokounmpo poem. Readers also might struggle with all the royalty references in LeBron's poem and the poem did not reflect LeBron's amazing work ethic. The poem about Steph Curry was perfect. It truly described how he plays. "Slippery Steph with the ball going left, with the skip, with the slip, with the shimmy, with the dip..." was a vivid poem that truly represents the player. All the poems did not fit the players the way this one did.

This is a delightful set of poems that will catch the eye of anyone interested in basketball. I'd say it is almost as good as Hoop Kings and Hoop Queens. Maybe not quite as good due to me not knowing every player that is written about. But it made me want to watch more basketball!

Overdue update to Hoop Kings/Hoop Queens but worth the wait. The poetry is vivid and alive, the photos give context and action. The best part really is the note from the author/poet in the endpapers about why and how he chose each poetic form for each player; thoughtful and relevant with a sneaky academic angle.

I really liked the illustrations. It would be an easy to read book for the adolescent basketball fan as it's short, not very wordy, with great illustrations. I would recommend it for adolescent basketball fans.

This review will be biased because I am a huge fan of Charles R. Smith, Jr.'s work! His body of work of poetry and sports appeals to children and adults. This book continues to enhance and expand his body of work. Smith's rhythmic words and style accurately describes each player's performance on court. The black and white photos stand out in the cool mellow background. The orange adds that extra punch and movement. This is an essential book for every library collection!

Got this as a Christmas gift for my son. Much to my chagrin, my son doesn’t read. But, being a huge basketball aficionado, I’m hoping he will actually read this book of poetry.

I love the layout and concept of this poetry collection. Each basketball player gets his own poem about his skill set and abilities. It’s not only fun, it’s informative!

What a great addition for any basketball fan!

Geared for the 28 days of Black History Month, but perfect for any month, this book highlights an extraordinary event for each day of February. Laws, people, victories, and injustices are explicated through verse, quotes, and text. Bibliography.

Written in verse, this tale of the Negro Baseball League is told from the unique and entertaining perspective of the radio announcer. Black and white illustrations, along with fan reactions, and commercials add to the authenticity of this Depression-era story. Author’s Note.

This book is great for first graders due to its vibrant incorporation of visual aid that brings its story to life and appeals to a young audience. My People is a celebration of the African American community in all of its glory in a world that has consistently neglected its culture. Diversity seen within the black community is brought to the forefront as people of all shades under the spectrum are represented and meant to be shown in a positive light.

pre school - 1st, there is minimal words and mainly pictures so it would be great for young children. It is a book that empowers African American people and tells them that they are beautiful, and represented. Great to have in a classroom to support your students who may be struggling with their identity.

Brick by Brick is a children's historical novel explaining the building of the White House. Charles R. Smith Jr. explains how slaves were forced to build the White House from sun up to sun down by using their bare hands. Their profits were given to their owners, the slaves only hoped that the skills they learned would one day pay for their freedoms. I believe this is a good read for children, as this novel gives them an age appropriate explanation of how the White House was built. I do however wish there would be more details in the story.

Really well done! I'd love to see the print book. This is wonderfully narrated by a variety of readers, giving a fabulous texture to the writing. I was delighted to see some lesser known heroes of Black History. I learned a lot. Thank you to NetGalley and Spotlight Audio for sharing a copy with me in exchange for my honest review. I feel lucky to have experienced this fine audiobook.

SS
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