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From: WMMayes at aol.com <WMMayes>
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 21:33:30 EST
My nine-and-a-half year old, Anthony, is so much more into sports than I, it has become clear that the sports gene skipped a generation. Being quite the reader, and having access to nearly every book published for kids through my review copies, he has read a goodly number of sports titles.
His Matt Christopher phase ended a year ago when he pronounced that he had
"read them all." Last month he found a title with which he was unfamiliar and scooped it up, delighted to have a chance to read one of his favorite authors again. (He is not much of a re-reader.) He liked the first two WOLFBAY WINGS books by Bruce Brooks but hasn't read any of the others, even though he saves the new ones for his shelf when the titles come in. "Someday I'll like hockey better, Dad. Bruce says so," says Anthony, who, having met and adored Bruce, has taken Bruce's essay EIGHT REASONS WHY ICE HOCKEY KICKS FOOTBALLS TUTU from his book BOYS WILL BE very much to heart.
He prefers basketball, and he has read Michael Jordan's book FOR THE LOVE OF HE GAME, as well as a long adult book about the Bulls that he checked out of the library, but for the most part he tends to stick to books aimed at children.
Dan Gutman's two fantasy baseball books, HONUS & ME and JACKIE & ME were very big hits, as well as his basketball book, THE MILLION DOLLAR SHOT. Dean Hughes' TEAM PICTURE was a favorite, as well as any hardcover, nonfiction book with photos of teams and players. But the ranking series, the only thing that can come near ANIMORPHS in terms of reading it the second it arrives, is Gordon Korman's THE MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CLUB, which skillfully blends fantasy and fact in titles like I WAS JOHN ELWAY. Anthony has pronounced them highly enjoyable and has turned on all his classmates to them.
I read many of these books, but I rely strongly on Anthony's response to them when I use them in my work. My favorite sports books tend to be for older kids, such as STOTAN (or anything) by Chris Crutcher and Teresa Duder's IN LANE THREE, ALEX ARCHER.
Walter the Giant Storyteller Walter M. Mayes co-author of VALERIE & WALTER'S BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: A LIVELY, OPINIONATED GUIDE, published by Avon Books WMMayes at aol.com
Received on Sat 09 Jan 1999 08:33:30 PM CST
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 21:33:30 EST
My nine-and-a-half year old, Anthony, is so much more into sports than I, it has become clear that the sports gene skipped a generation. Being quite the reader, and having access to nearly every book published for kids through my review copies, he has read a goodly number of sports titles.
His Matt Christopher phase ended a year ago when he pronounced that he had
"read them all." Last month he found a title with which he was unfamiliar and scooped it up, delighted to have a chance to read one of his favorite authors again. (He is not much of a re-reader.) He liked the first two WOLFBAY WINGS books by Bruce Brooks but hasn't read any of the others, even though he saves the new ones for his shelf when the titles come in. "Someday I'll like hockey better, Dad. Bruce says so," says Anthony, who, having met and adored Bruce, has taken Bruce's essay EIGHT REASONS WHY ICE HOCKEY KICKS FOOTBALLS TUTU from his book BOYS WILL BE very much to heart.
He prefers basketball, and he has read Michael Jordan's book FOR THE LOVE OF HE GAME, as well as a long adult book about the Bulls that he checked out of the library, but for the most part he tends to stick to books aimed at children.
Dan Gutman's two fantasy baseball books, HONUS & ME and JACKIE & ME were very big hits, as well as his basketball book, THE MILLION DOLLAR SHOT. Dean Hughes' TEAM PICTURE was a favorite, as well as any hardcover, nonfiction book with photos of teams and players. But the ranking series, the only thing that can come near ANIMORPHS in terms of reading it the second it arrives, is Gordon Korman's THE MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CLUB, which skillfully blends fantasy and fact in titles like I WAS JOHN ELWAY. Anthony has pronounced them highly enjoyable and has turned on all his classmates to them.
I read many of these books, but I rely strongly on Anthony's response to them when I use them in my work. My favorite sports books tend to be for older kids, such as STOTAN (or anything) by Chris Crutcher and Teresa Duder's IN LANE THREE, ALEX ARCHER.
Walter the Giant Storyteller Walter M. Mayes co-author of VALERIE & WALTER'S BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: A LIVELY, OPINIONATED GUIDE, published by Avon Books WMMayes at aol.com
Received on Sat 09 Jan 1999 08:33:30 PM CST
