Customer Reviews

Larry Bird: The Boy From French Lick

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Being an avid follower of Basketball, and a Larry Bird fan, I was delighted to read this biography about Larry Bird. It is appropriate for children from ages seven years and up. This book gives an outstanding account of Larry Bird's early years, and children will enjoy how he perseveres until he becomes a Basketball Star.As a retired teacher, I highly recommend this quality book.

L.S. from Long Island, N.Y.

"Larry Bird: The Boy from French Lick" is the story of the boyhood of famous Boston Celtics basketball star Larry Bird. Despite obstacles of little money, his childhood in French Lick, Indiana is described as happy but with challenges. Always active, he was taller than other children his age. He was also a leader, and respected and liked by other children. Larry was used to entertaining himself with his brothers and sister. As a young boy, he often played baseball with his older brothers. Once, at age thirteen, while on a trip to visit family in Hobart, Indiana, he came across the opportunity to play basketball with older kids, and found he had a natural talent for the game. From then on, Larry practiced hard at the sport he loved, making the high school B team in the ninth grade. He worked hard and practiced long hours before and after school, not knowing how good he was, but just wanting to improve his efforts to play. Many experiences with basketball playing would shape Larry's development into a star player, but most valuable of all was his determination to work at bettering himself and his play. One of the key figures in his childhood was his grandmother, Lizzie Kerns. She supported his efforts and quietly encouraged him. He played through injury recovery when he broke his ankle and drilled with crutches, learning a valuable lesson: that passing is more of an art than scoring. Encouraged to drill and train hard by a high school coach named Jim Jones, Larry perfected the moves that became the tools of his trade: the reverse pivot, playing with both hands, boxing out, betting rebounds, and throwing a hard, one-handed pass. His style was not fancy but his work was solid. Eventually he grew to be 6' 9" and went on to be a leader on Indiana State University's basketball team. His later life's achievements are chronicled in the end of the book along with a bibliography. The sensitive paintings illustrating "Larry Bird the Boy from French Lick" add to the picture of this hometown hero who never stopped trying to improve his game.

I PURCHASED THE BOOK FOR MY 20 YEAR OLD GRANDSON SINCE HE IS A DEVOTED BOSTON CELTICS FAN. WHEN HE RECEIVED IT HE TOLD ME IT WAS FOR A VERY YOUNG READER. I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT IT MENTIONED THAT IN THE DESCRIPTION. AMAZON HAD SENT ME AN EMAIL ABOUT THE BOOK SINCE I HAVE PURCHASES MANY BASKETBALL BOOKS. HE IS TOO OLD FOR THIS YOUNG BOOK.