Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Michael Jordan's mother offers another lesson-laden story from her son's early years, following Michael's Golden Rules and Salt in His Shoes. It's 1972, Michael is nine, and his basketball obsession is being stoked by the U.S. basketball team's Olympic loss to Russia. Now Michael doesn't just want to be a basketball star; he wants to be an Olympic champion, too. But is he willing to give it everything he's got-after he's done with his homework, that is? Jordan's mantra of "dream big and work hard" isn't handled with much finesse or economy, and some readers may wish that all the firm yet supportive adults around Michael would let up a little. What rescues this book from its own sermonizing are Root's (Passing the Music Down) terrific sketch-style watercolor and gouache drawings. Their openheartedness and spontaneity almost seem as if Root were there as events unfolded. As drawn on these pages, Michael isn't a star in the making or the vessel for promulgating time-honored values. He's a living, breathing kid. Ages 4-8. Agent: Ronnie Ann Herman, the Herman Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-This inspirational story focuses on the outside influences surrounding the athlete as a nine-year-old both at home and abroad. When the American basketball team loses its bid for a gold medal to Russia in the 1972 Olympics, young Jordan is watching, along with his brothers. Inspired by the close game, he informs his mother that he is going to be an Olympic champion. Through bits and pieces of conversation and parental admonitions, he learns how to achieve his goal with "a series of small steps." He is called a dreamer, but proves that he is a doer as well. His mother, his middle-school coach, his brother Larry, and a friend all contribute their words of wisdom that lead him to work toward his goal. The watercolor and gouache illustrations have a warm, almost golden tone that evoke the hovering, seemingly present gold medal. In the author's note, readers learn that Jordan achieved his goal in 1984. A timely publication just before the 2012 Olympics, this book could be paired with the author's previous story about her son, Salt in His Shoes (S & S, 2000).-Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Young basketball-obsessed Michael Jordan tells his mother of his Olympic aspirations, and Mom urges him to "get busy." The story's focus is fractured, the text has its inane moments ("dreaming is good, but dreaming is for dreamers"), and Root's watercolor and gouache illustrations are inconsistent. That this is a true story written by the basketball legend's mother will add interest for some. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Michael Jordan's mother returns for another story about her famous son's childhood. Michael Jordan's childhood dreams were always of playing basketball. His friends, brothers and mother are full of upbeat advice, encouraging him to work hard and keep practicing. After watching the U.S. Olympic team battle Russia, young Michael announces to his mother that he will be an Olympic basketball champion. More pat advice about dreamers and doers follows. But Michael puts his plan into action by asking his coach what he could do now to get closer to that dream. And in an ending that echoes Salt in His Shoes (cowritten with Roslyn Jordan and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, 2000), he goes to his older brother's scrimmage and makes a three-pointer right over the heads of his opponents. An afterword sums up Michael's journey to the Olympic Games--the culmination of lots of little steps undertaken day after day. While Michael's story is an inspiring one, Jordan's retelling may leave readers feeling less uplifted than bashed over the head. She tells rather than shows, and her emphasis on schoolwork, while worthy, is repeated a bit too often for either readers' comfort or the flow of the story. Root's watercolor-and-gouache illustrations convey to readers just how much Michael lives and breathes basketball. Not likely to be a life-changing inspiration to any, save diehard Michael Jordan fans. (Picture book/biography. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
