Good morning!
Hello Day 8!
Anyone else play basketball?
I did all through middle school and high school.
I studied up in a book called, “Basketball for Dummies.”
And to this day, I still learn A LOT about sports through books.
But also through practicing!
I played in high school and college as well.
One semester I didn’t have classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays,
due to taking a bunch of AP classes in high school.
I played basketball ALL DAY those days,
mostly with the boys, since they made up most of the gym rats.
I’m not tall AT ALL.
Only 5’4″
but I’m spunky, fast, and have a 2 foot vertical leap.
And I don’t complain.
They liked that about playing with me.
These days I don’t have as much time to play as I’d like to,
but recently I played a game of HORSE with my neighbors.
My VERY tall, 6’1″ and 6’2″ neighbors.
We played two times.
Guess who won both times.
Yup, still got it.
So when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it!
Title: H.O.R.S. E. A game of basketball and imagination
Published by: Egmont USA, 2012
Written by: Christopher Myers
Illustrated by: Christopher Myers
Word Count: 643
Pages: 32
In one word: Imaginative
In one sentence: Two boys brag about the shots they can make in the classic game, “HORSE” and they’ll shock you with what they can pull off!
Favorite pages:
Likes:
- The conversational tone of the book…it’s basically a conversation between two hot-shot bball players!
- The way the text is laid out…all over the place, very playful.
- Also, the color is different depending on who’s speaking. Easy to keep track that way.
- The illustrations are awesome mixed media
- Bright colors throughout
- Fast moving conversation/story too…loved it!
Learns:
- A conversation of boasting and bragging makes for an interesting story
- Imagination and sports DO go together! (I always knew it, but good proof)
- The author/illustrator still plays hoops with his friends (thanks awesome author note!)
- H.O.R.S.E. is also called G.H.O.S.T.? Never knew that.
There you have it.
Day 8.
Also, another giveaway on Day 10!
I think I’ll do every five days from now on!
Stay tuned 🙂
Until next time,
KE and SS
I am posting, but I am not seeing the posts. Today, I read IRON HORSES by Verla Kay. Word count – 191. Great book
For some reason, Jackie, I had to approve the comments before they would come up.
Hopefully they’re coming up regular now.
Never heard of this book, but with such a short word count, I’m intrigued.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your post this morning! I can’t wait to tell my basketball-breathing petite 12 yr. old daughter about your bball exploits! 😉
Today I read ‘Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile’ by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert. Great story, very imaginative illustrations, and cute style.
Ah, thanks Beth!
Also tell her I was so small when I was younger that I had to squat almost all the way to the floor to get the power in my legs to shoot free- throws! But I made most of them so it was ok 🙂
Never heard of this book either, but sounds great.
Thanks for sharing!
I love imaginative illustrations.
Thanks for sharing your basketball experience with us, and you go, girl, for winning those games of HORSE! LOL
My brother was one of the star players on his HS basketball team. I used to rebound for him, i.e. chase the balls that didn’t bounce back to him. He taught me to shoot and dribble. I wasn’t half bad. I’m not a big sports person, but I still have a soft spot for basketball.
Today I read MR.DASH AND THE CUPCAKE CALAMITY by Monica Kulling, illustrated by Esperanca Melo, Tundra Books, 2013. The illustrations are superb. Brightly colored and funny. It’s a second book about Mr. Dash, the dog. I think the story could be reorganized a bit and streamlined. All of the writing was well done and had a beautiful rhythm, but I don’t think all of it was needed. The story picks up when the MC’s granddaughter comes to help bake cupcakes. I also loved that the dog was a reluctant helper. “He felt foolish carrying boxes in his mouth. And he was sure that the baker’s hat made him look like a clown.” I would have liked to see more of how Mr. Dash attempts to relinquish his role as cupcake delivery dog.
What a good sister you are, Carol!
We only ever begrudgingly rebounded for each other!
Never heard of Mr. Dash.
I’ll have to check it out.
Funny that you didn’t think all of the writing was needed; so many people are saying: “FEWER WORDS!” but it also seems many books are coming out with long word counts. And it’s interesting to be reading something and think, “this could be streamlined.”
I only get glimpses of those moments with my own writing, but with other people’s it can happen a lot more.
THanks for sharing!
I read “The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?” written and illustrated by Mo Willems.
Love that book!
Any pigeon book really.
Mo Willems is a genius. Hands down.
Thanks for sharing!
I said I’d read a teddy bear book today that’s more recent than “Corduroy,” so here it is: “One True Bear” by Ted Dewan, published by both Orchard Books in Great Britain and Walker and Company in the US in 2009.
Where do I begin with this book? I love so many things about it! Like most books about personified stuffed animals it made me cry. Some of the reasons for this are common in come to life toy stories; others are more unique to this one. The most common tear jerker in this story is like the one in Toy Story 3; the teddy bear’s owner growing up. A less common tear jerker is, collectively, the different instances where the teddy bear tries to explain the consequences of his owner’s actions. Having been a very guilt-ridden child, it always upset me when I heard the negative consequences of my potential actions, and so I can relate to the boy in this storybook as well as the bear. To that end, I love how the bear talks to the boy and the boy understands.
Another thing I like is the “Bear Force,” an obvious pun on “Air Force.” This involves a bunch of teddy bears sending each other off on dangerous missions, like playing with destructive kids. Though I don’t know much about this issue, I think this might make “One True Bear” a good book for kids with parents in the military.
The surest sign that this book came out in the modern age is, I think, the illustration that shows the Bear Force watching the story’s protagonist playing with the boy on live television.
I will end this post with the book’s ending. I won’t give anything away; all I will say is that with few words and detailed illustrations, this ending manages to say a lot. I don’t always notice when the illustrations talk more than the text, but in this ending they definitely do.
Sounds like a fun book, Lily.
I love stories of stuffed animals that come to life too.
Never heard of this one though, so thanks.
And I do love when endings say a lot with very few words.
you have me intrigued!
Kathy, I LOVE H.O.R.S.E. I met the author at a panel in the summer – so I was able to get an autographed copy. I HAD to buy the book because basketball is the perfect sport for my boys. You can practice or play alone or with someone. Besides a hoop and a ball, you don’t need special equipment, and it’s a great way to hang out with the neighbor kids.
Today I read “Terrific” by Jon Agee. (My nine-year old is so sweet – he knows I’m writing PBs so every week on library day he checks out a PB for me from his school! So today, this was his pick.) It’s a bit older, 2005, so it seemed a little wordy to me compared to many of today’s books, but it’s a great story. Loved it.
Debra:
So cool that you got to meet him!
I think I read Terrific…I like Jon Agee a lot.
How sweet of your son to pick out a book for you!
Today I read “Brontorina” by James Howe. It is a sweet book about a dinosaur that wants to be a ballerina. It reminds me that I must add Bunnicula to my reading list. October seems like a good time.
That one is so cute!
And yeah, Bunnicula!
I remember LOVING that as a kid.
A lovely little read today “Molly and the Night Monster” by Chris Wormell author/ illustrator. A simple story about a girl in her bedroom, worried about the noises behind her door and imagining what it could be. I like how the right page is her bedroom and the left page the hallway and the things she imagines and how this setup remains consistent throughout.
The comparison between the right and left page sounds really interesting in this one, Yvonne. I’ll have to look for it!
Today I read The Dark by Lemony Snicket. This was a really creative book. The illustrations and the words are so simple, but the story is very complex. I love Snicket’s other books and so I was excited to see that he had a picture book as well.
Kirsten, that’s one that I’m going to do here!
I adore both Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen.
And I met them when this book came out!
That will be in the post too 🙂
Wow, that is amazing that you got to meet them both! I think I would be starstruck!
Tonight’s bedtime book was “We’re Off to Find the Witch’s House” by Mr. Kreib and illustrated by R.W. Alley. A fun Halloween book that we read throughout the year. It’s a favorite because of the rhythmic text, fantastic descriptive words for each Halloween creature that appears, and sweet illustrations that eventually reveal there’s more to the monsters than the main kid characters first thought.
Sounds like a fun Halloween book, Stacey.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi KE!!
How is work going? Read Ferdinand the Bull today. Loved it and so did my daughter! Hey we have some mail to send you. Can you message me on FB your address. Thank you!!!
Casi,
Ferdinand is one of my all time favorites.
I actually made friends with someone because I referenced it and he loved it too…it was the perfect ice breaker 🙂
Work is going great. Tiring, but worthwhile. Just sent you my address 🙂
I read “My Freedom Trip” by Frances Park and Ginger Park published by Boyds Mills Press.
The b’ball book looks fun; I remember playing h.o.r.s.e as a kid 🙂
Never heard of My Freedom Trip; I’ll have to look for it!
Today I re-read “The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton as it pairs with my blog post about an Artist Date to the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, MA.
http://bildebok.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/follow-me-to-folly-cove-virginia-lee-burton/
Just checked out the blogpost, Cathy.
That sounds like such a cool place,
and what a good collaboration between all those women!
I love the woodblock prints.
I do linoleum block prints, but would love to get into wood block someday.
thanks for sharing!
I’ll have to check out this book, since I still play H.O.R.S.E. with my kids (and sometimes we shorten it to H.I.T. when I’m in a hurry to get home and cook dinner–dunno how that word was chosen!).
I read CRANKENSTEIN by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat. Written in 2nd person, it has humor that both parents and children could relate to.
I saw Crankenstein at Hicklebee’s.
It’s SO CUTE! and in second person.
It’s basically like my dream book 🙂
Greetings:
I am not behind reading books, I m behind reporting on the books I’ve read. For the day 8 reading, I read DRAGON’S HALLOWEEN by Dav Pilkey. This book was 902-words with three very short story with the main character being a dinosaur.
Since I am a huge DAV PILKEY fan (CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS)once I saw his name I had to read it. I was not disappointed. I loved it.
I thought it was a good Halloween read.