Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty by Charles R. Smith Jr.

When a new student recently told me  I should ”get a poetry book about LeBron James” I knew I’d found the perfect reader for Charles R. Smith Jr.’s Hoop Kings. All the copies of Hoop Kings copies were checked out from my site’s library but  I was happy to discover  that author Smith had published a sequel back in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic.

 Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty  is an appealingly  slim volume that includes  a poem entitled “Royalty” about none other than LeBron James.

Similar in style to the first  Hoop Kings, the bold graphic design of this sequel, the large size of the font, and the brevity,  specificity,  and rhythms of the ten or so poems are made entirely accessible to developing readers. 

The  backmatter includes poem notes and short paragraphs by the poet fleshing out a bit of his poetic process, thoughts, struggles and goals for each poem, a perfect snippet to help new, young poets think about their art.  Highly recommended for older emerging and developing readers who love basketball.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Smith J., Charles R.  Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty.  Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2021.

Click here for a teaching guide from the publisher.  Contains a few ideas for content area applications in Social Studies, Math, and Art in addition to ELA/Writing.

Who Was the Greatest? Muhammad Ali by Gabe Soria, illustrated by Chris Brunner with colors by Rico Renzi

For comics fans who can’t get enough of Muhammad Ali, I highly recommend this short, punchy biography.  It’s a mix of comics narrated by Ali’s friend,  photographer, and biographer Howard Bingham.  Pages alternate between gorgeously coloured panels and non-fiction paragraphs about Joe Frazier, the Philipines, and professional boxing.  The actual fight is nearly wordless and thus perfect for discussions of sequences, storytelling, layout and perspective.  This book will be of interest to students of all ages and accessible to our younger readers, as well as a good fit for older ones looking for a short read.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

 

Before the sequel Dragon Ball Z  was Dragon Ball where  we follow the adventures of Goku, a boy with a taill, who loves to do nothing but eat and hunt.  That is until he meets Bulma who is seeking the Dragon Balls. 

Together the pair go in search of the magical spheres that can summon a great magical dragon who can grant a single wish. Goku and Bulma’s adventure leads them through some dangerous and at times comical situations when  every Dragon Ball they gather reveals a bit more of Goku’s true identity and power. --Claudio Leon

Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2003. Print.