Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters

After Black members of a 1922 championship high school team from Chicago's South Side are barred from competing at the next level, they band together in this true story. In 1927, the team that will become the Harlem Globetrotters takes to the road in a Model T, picking up games with "anyone who would play," despite being turned away from hotels and eateries. When locals resent the team beating home players, the Globetrotters develop their now-trademark tricks and footwork to win crowds over. Tate's dynamic digital pictures capture the players' perseverance as they prove instrumental in integrating pro basketball and score legions of fans, and a comprehensive timeline rounds out the book. Though the text at points glosses over racial discrimination ("hometown fans didn't like out-of-town hotshots skunking their team"), this is an enthusiastic tribute to a groundbreaking team. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)

PreS-Gr 4--With their "fancy footwork, fast passes, and one-handed dunk shots," the Harlem Globetrotters were known for putting on an entertaining show. Their history, however, shows how the Globetrotters played a significant role in the development of professional basketball. The original founders were a group of African American high school basketball players from the South Side of Chicago. The team played their first game in 1927. They traveled around the country playing against hometown or other touring teams, both Black and white. The Great Depression made it hard for the team to earn money until they added ball-handling tricks and theatrical moves to their game. They were accomplished players, but these special elements attracted paying customers. Although they presented a lighthearted presence on the court, the team encountered discrimination in many of the towns they visited and were barred from local hotels and restaurants designated "whites only." When new professional leagues began forming in the late 1940s, Black players initially were not recruited, even as the Globetrotters were a hit at Madison Square Garden. In 1950, Harlem Globetrotter Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton was one of the first African American men signed to the NBA. The Globetrotters began to live up to their name, playing exhibition games in many countries and across the United States. Digital illustrations and archival photographs capture the team's energy and sense of fun. The players' quick movements and the constant ball action are expertly represented by Tate's dynamic cartoon-style spreads. VERDICT This well-researched, accessible picture book makes this story bounce off the page.--Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's Sch., Richmond, VA