Gus and Grandpa at Basketball [Hardcover]

Claudia Mills (Author), Catherine Stock (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2001 | Age Level: 6 and up | Series: Gus and Grandpa

"A great intergenerational team." --Kirkus Reviews

Gus loves basketball -- that is, basketball practice with Pete, the coach, and shooting baskets at Grandpa's house with only Grandpa's dog, Skipper, in attendance. Basketball games are another story. What if Gus misses every basket, and everybody laughs? If only his parents wouldn't come. Gus is especially unnerved by his father's shouting. Then Grandpa comes to Gus's last game and teaches him the secret of success -- to tune out the other voices and listen to his own.

Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock present the seventh beginning reader starring Gus and Grandpa, of whom Kirkus Reviews says, "They're lucky to have each other -- and readers are lucky to have them."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-In the latest addition to the series, Grandpa helps his grandson overcome an emotional obstacle that many children will relate to-performance anxiety. Gus excels during basketball practice, but he is unable to perform during games. The yelling and screaming render him helpless and unable to use his skills. With a sympathetic ear, Grandpa reminds the boy that the voices he hears during the game can be turned off like a hearing aid, a trick his grandfather uses when he needs to hear himself think. Using this advice, Gus takes the winning shot. As in Gus and Grandpa Ride the Train (1998) and Gus and Grandpa and the Two-Wheeled Bike (2001, both Farrar), the warm relationship between the two is conveyed through the man's loving support for his grandson's interests. Stock's illustrations, which stand alone on certain pages and are integrated with the text on others, have a vintage quality to them; their watercolor and pencil strokes yield earthy browns and soft blues. The gentle tones and emotional truthfulness complement Mills's text impeccably. Filled with fast-paced action and a bit of humor, the story is also rich with lessons in persistence, achievement, and family relationships, and is well suited for reading aloud as well as for beginning readers.

Louie Lahana, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. The seventh story about Gus and Grandpa is one of the best. Gus starts basketball, and he's good at it. He makes a basket on the first day of practice, but when it comes to a real game, with his parents watching and everyone shouting what to do, he's so nervous that he messes up. That's when Grandpa helps out: he explains that he always turns off his hearing aid when there's too much noise and tells Gus to try the same on the court. Simple without being condescending, this will have huge appeal for new readers and for reading aloud. The words and watercolor pictures are packed with the noisy excitement of the game. They are also eloquent with quiet affection. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374328188
• ISBN-13: 978-0374328184
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,290,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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