Swish! [Hardcover]

Bill Martin (Author), Michael Sampson (Author), Michael Chesworth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

A fast-paced book about two girls' basketball teams fighting for the championship.

"The Cardinals and Bluejays are in the final game of the championship. The tension builds as the clock ticks away. The score is tied at 44/44 with one second left . . . who will win the game?"

New interest in women's basketball, including the 1996 Olympic team and the heavily watched 1996 NCAA women's championship, makes Swish! an exciting addition to the list. Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson have created an action-packed text filled with suspense. Illustrations by Michael Chesworth put the reader on the court as these tough players battle it out.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. With rhythmic rhyme and dynamic art, Swish! draws readers into the final minute of a hotly contested game between two girls' basketball teams, the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. The text echoes the fast-paced excitement of the game, punctuated by the slower "dribble...dribble...dribble" as each player decides where to place the ball. Both sides score and the red team calls a frantic time out, coming back to win with a three-pointer in the last second. Chesworth's drawings are full of motion. He zooms in from the first picture where the perspective is high in the bleachers, and then swoops down into the middle of the court with the team. Readers can nearly hear the gasping breaths and smell the sweaty uniforms in the struggle for that winning basket. The cartoonlike character of the pictures and the primary colors of the uniforms make this a bright and cheery choice for reading aloud to budding basketball enthusiasts. It makes an interesting contrast to the more serious tone and subdued colors of Robert Burleigh and Stephen Johnson's Hoops (Harcourt, 1997).?Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"With rhythmic text and dynamic art, Swish! draws readers into the final minute of a hotly contested game between two girls’ basketball teams.... A bright and cheery choice for reading aloud to budding basketball enthusiasts." --School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805044981
• ISBN-13: 978-0805044980
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,375,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Girls Basketball Book, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Swish! (Hardcover)

This book shows determination to win. Both teams play very hard. The author uses a lot of action words to keep the reader's attention. The art work and the printing also give the reader a sense of excitment. This is a book that teaches you not to give up if you're down.

5.0 out of 5 stars Boys love it too!, May 17, 2007

By 

W. Fujimoto "Brett's Mom" (Honolulu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Swish! (Paperback)

With a color illustration on each page the book appeals to younger children, but the words are about right for 6 - 8 year olds. The book captures the excitement of a close game. The players are girls, but who cares! My 7 year old read it by himself and loved it. We are going to buy a copy to donate to his class. It is the best basketball book for this age range we have found so far.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Basketball Book for kids :), January 3, 2007

By 

CarrieLynn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swish! (Paperback)

We had purchased this book for our daughter a few years ago...Daddy is a basketball coach, so, needless to say, basketball is our life! Our daughter loved this book and it has been read aloud many times - a great book to read together. By now, the whole family knows the story by heart!

When our son was born, we got the book out to read to him & he immediately loved it, as well. But, Sissy was worried about her favorite book being destroyed by her little brother - so we had to purchase another copy :) Our son is only 17 months, but this is one of his favorite stories.

Incidentally, I believe the story was co-authored by Bill Martin who worked with Eric Carle on classics such as "Polar Bear, Polar Bear." The illiustrations are great - now if they could just release it in a board book format so it will hold up to my little one...

Definitely recommended for any basketball fan!