Charles R. Smith Jr. brings his high-energy verse to praise a new generation of WNBA basketball stars, paired with dynamic photos of the players in action.
Are your moves as smooth as A’ja Wilson’s? Do you make the game look effortless like Sue Bird? Are you a complete player like Candace Parker? A scoring machine like Diana Taurasi? Whether it’s the towering Brittney Griner, or Elena Delle Donne doing her thing, or Breanna Stewart with her big bag of tricks, Charles R. Smith’s indomitable wordplay revels in the superb talents of thirteen of the best female players in basketball. Matched with kinetic, stylized photos of the players, these upbeat poems capture the elite agility and skills the professionals bring to the game. End notes delve into how the author uses a variety of poetic forms and language to spotlight each athlete.
Featuring the players: Sue Bird Liz Cambage Elena Delle Donne Skylar Diggins-Smith Brittney Griner Jonquel Jones Nneka & Chiney Ogwumike Candace Parker Breanna Stewart Diana Taurasi Courtney Vandersloot A’Ja Wilson
This collection offers a winning mix of wordplay, alliteration, and rhythms. Fans will relish Smith’s inventive tribute to a fresh group of stellar athletes. . . Accessible and appealing short poetry and wordplay, paired with exciting photographs, will draw a wide audience. Librarians and language arts teachers will also appreciate the read-aloud qualities and potential to inspire creative writing units. —School Library Journal
Thirteen WNBA stars of the present get fast-break tributes in this follow-up to 2003’s Hoop Queens. . . . A surefire fan pleaser. —Kirkus Reviews
A companion of sorts to Smith’s Hoop Queens (2003), this latest celebrates 12 additional WNBA stars in poetry, each poem being different in form and type but having in common the energy that language brings to the page. This is reinforced by the accompanying photographic portraits that capture each star in action. . . . A choice pick for classroom users and independent readers alike. —Booklist
Charles R. Smith Jr.is the author of Hoop Queens and its companions, Hoop Kings and Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty,as well as Soccer Queens, Chameleon, Pick-Up Game with Marc Aronson, and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Bryan Collier. He is also the recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his photographs in My People, an adaptation of the Langston Hughes poem. Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in New York.
Charles R. Smith Jr. brings his high-energy verse to praise a new generation of WNBA basketball stars, paired with dynamic photos of the players in action.
Are your moves as smooth as A’ja Wilson’s? Do you make the game look effortless like Sue Bird? Are you a complete player like Candace Parker? A scoring machine like Diana Taurasi? Whether it’s the towering Brittney Griner, or Elena Delle Donne doing her thing, or Breanna Stewart with her big bag of tricks, Charles R. Smith’s indomitable wordplay revels in the superb talents of thirteen of the best female players in basketball. Matched with kinetic, stylized photos of the players, these upbeat poems capture the elite agility and skills the professionals bring to the game. End notes delve into how the author uses a variety of poetic forms and language to spotlight each athlete.
Featuring the players: Sue Bird Liz Cambage Elena Delle Donne Skylar Diggins-Smith Brittney Griner Jonquel Jones Nneka & Chiney Ogwumike Candace Parker Breanna Stewart Diana Taurasi Courtney Vandersloot A’Ja Wilson
Praise
This collection offers a winning mix of wordplay, alliteration, and rhythms. Fans will relish Smith’s inventive tribute to a fresh group of stellar athletes. . . Accessible and appealing short poetry and wordplay, paired with exciting photographs, will draw a wide audience. Librarians and language arts teachers will also appreciate the read-aloud qualities and potential to inspire creative writing units. —School Library Journal
Thirteen WNBA stars of the present get fast-break tributes in this follow-up to 2003’s Hoop Queens. . . . A surefire fan pleaser. —Kirkus Reviews
A companion of sorts to Smith’s Hoop Queens (2003), this latest celebrates 12 additional WNBA stars in poetry, each poem being different in form and type but having in common the energy that language brings to the page. This is reinforced by the accompanying photographic portraits that capture each star in action. . . . A choice pick for classroom users and independent readers alike. —Booklist
Author
Charles R. Smith Jr.is the author of Hoop Queens and its companions, Hoop Kings and Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty,as well as Soccer Queens, Chameleon, Pick-Up Game with Marc Aronson, and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Bryan Collier. He is also the recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his photographs in My People, an adaptation of the Langston Hughes poem. Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in New York.
