Review by Booklist Review
In this visually arresting offering, a Black boy finds courage to join other children playing in an urban landscape. His shadow gets the ball rolling by bursting onto the scene, basketball in hand, enthusiastically announcing, It's game day! However, the boy doesn't show the same confidence yet. At the edge of the concrete court, the boy watches kids gather for a game, while the shadow demands the boy show him his game face a sweetly funny sequence of trial and error, progressing from smile to smirk. Next, he shows off his moves, finally gaining the confidence to declare, I got next! and enter the court. Illustrations using black ink, gouache, watercolors, and digital techniques form dynamic scenes that blend with the story's rhythmic text. Endpapers resembling murals seen in most urban areas include common images of significant African Americans such as Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston, affording librarians, teachers, and parents a great opportunity to add further historical or cultural context to this tale of perseverance and community.--Tiffany Flowers Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--As a young black boy prepares for a basketball game, his shadow encourages him to put his game face on. This figure accompanies and inspires the boy as he practices various basketball techniques. This book's illustrations wonderfully capture an urban setting with a variety of gray, navy, and pastel hues. Watercolors are used to add a beautiful and soft touch to the cityscape. The boy's realistic expressions capture his dedication and focus. Throughout the book, his game face becomes a central focal point for readers. The text appears to follow the boy as he dribbles a basketball; it cleverly captures the sense of movement and energy of the illustrations, echoing the play-by-play and reflecting patterns of dialogue often used by sport players completely immersed in a highly energetic game. Basketball terminology is seamlessly woven into this story by combining them with the boy's demonstration of various techniques. The rhythmic narrative has a soothing flow, making it ideal for read alouds. VERDICT This book will encourage children to work hard at whatever they wish to achieve and to never give up, both on the court and beyond. Highly recommended.--Deanna Smith, Pender County Public Library, NC
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
An African American boy is walking through his city neighborhood holding a basketball. "It's game day!" begins the text, as the child stops into the barbershop before continuing onto the court. He's accompanied by his trusty companion-a shadowlike silhouette of a kid in a baseball cap. The book's text consists entirely of the dialogue between these two, using two different (but similar looking) fonts. At the b-ball court, the shadow pushes the boy to get ready: "Time to put your game face on! Show me your game face!...Show. Me. Your. Game. FACE." As the boy warms up, at first hesitant and timid, his companion serves as game announcer, challenger, and encourager as the boy narrates an imaginary game ("I start at the top of the key...Pull up. Follow through"). When it's time for the real game with other kids, the boy is ready. Peoples-Riley (This Is It, rev. 3/18) creates the book's urban landscapes with digitally finished mixed-media collages incorporating textures so pronounced that readers will want to touch them. The captivating, hope-filled art on the endpapers features images of Black heroes such as Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr., and Langston Hughes, set against a colorful cityscape. Placards reading "Forgiveness," "Love," "Friendship," etc., appear near the portraits; "We Live Here" is printed alongside two children holding flowers, surrounded by hummingbirds, trees, and rich, warm color. An enjoyable read for sports enthusiasts who need some creative ways to build confidence; pair with Christopher Myers's H.O.R.S.E. (rev. 1/13). Michelle H. Martin November/December 2019 p.73(c) Copyright 2019. 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
With a pep talk from his shadow, a young black boy learns to wear his "game face" and give his all at the neighborhood basketball court. The boy is at the barber shop when his shadow calls to him from outside, "It's game day!" He arrives at the fenced-in basketball court, where other kids greet one another. His shadow tells him, "Time to put your game face on!" It takes a few triesa smile, a frown, and finally, a mean mug. Now that the boy's got his game face on, his shadow says, "show me what you know." In rhythmic verse like a bouncing ball, the boy plays: "In. Out. / I cross 'em. / Ankles. / I break 'em." The boy is all over the court, his face sometimes hard and sometimes not so sure. Finally, boy and shadow float below the hoop as the ball goes in. "We won!" After a bit more coaching ("Work hard.Don't quit") and a promise to "never give up," the boy brings his game face to the whole group of kids, declaring, "We. GOT. NEXT." The inner-city neighborhood is lovingly portrayed, with soft watercolors creating swaths of concrete and sky, spare natural elements, and the black of the broken chain-link fence echoed in the black of the shadow that gets the boy psyched. A vibrant mural on the endpapers pays tribute to black leaders and community.Important, beautiful, and full of heart. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
