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    Bettina and the Ball

    Author Bettina Love
    Illustrated by Frank Morrison
    Hardcover
    $19.99 US
    Candlewick
    9-3/4"W x 11-5/16"H | 20 oz | 30 per carton
    On sale Jan 26, 2027 | 32 Pages | 9781536236446
    Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    In her autobiographical picture book, acclaimed educator and former college basketball player Bettina Love reflects on how she first fell in love with basketball at her father’s knee—honoring the beauty and brilliance of childhood joy.

    From one of the most important voices on the lives of Black children today comes a story that champions girls who love sports and touts the importance of perseverance and following your dreams, regardless of what others say you can or can’t do. “Practice and patience, Love,” Bettina’s dad tells her when her love affair with basketball begins. And she takes his advice to heart, from the ba-dum ba-dum of her dribbling to the beautiful swish when the ball finds the net. From the time Bettina wakes until the time she sleeps, she and the ball spend all day together, dancing to the beat of her heart. And when a bigger kid chases her off the court because she’s a girl, it takes only her dad’s reminder that nobody can tell her what or whom to love, and she feels her heartbeat again, stronger than ever. Paired with Frank Morrison’s energetic illustrations, Bettina Love’s picture-book debut makes clear that when you love something fearlessly, not only can it be contagious—it can be everything.
    Bettina L. Love is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning scholar, and the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. A former college basketball player and Big East Player of the Week, she led her team in blocked shots and, in 2023, received the Atlantic Coast Conference Unite Award for advancing racial progress on and off the court. A nationally recognized voice in education, Dr. Love inspires over 100,000 teachers annually and is the author of We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom. She lives in New York City—and still loves playing basketball.

    Frank Morrison started his artistic journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey before a visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris inspired him to become a fine artist and illustrator. He has won numerous awards for his work, including two NAACP Image Awards, the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, and the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award. He has collaborated with Carole Boston Weatherford on numerous titles, including How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee; R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul; Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual; How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace; and The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop. Frank Morrison lives outside Atlanta.
    Bettina Love View titles by Bettina Love
    Frank Morrison View titles by Frank Morrison

    About

    In her autobiographical picture book, acclaimed educator and former college basketball player Bettina Love reflects on how she first fell in love with basketball at her father’s knee—honoring the beauty and brilliance of childhood joy.

    From one of the most important voices on the lives of Black children today comes a story that champions girls who love sports and touts the importance of perseverance and following your dreams, regardless of what others say you can or can’t do. “Practice and patience, Love,” Bettina’s dad tells her when her love affair with basketball begins. And she takes his advice to heart, from the ba-dum ba-dum of her dribbling to the beautiful swish when the ball finds the net. From the time Bettina wakes until the time she sleeps, she and the ball spend all day together, dancing to the beat of her heart. And when a bigger kid chases her off the court because she’s a girl, it takes only her dad’s reminder that nobody can tell her what or whom to love, and she feels her heartbeat again, stronger than ever. Paired with Frank Morrison’s energetic illustrations, Bettina Love’s picture-book debut makes clear that when you love something fearlessly, not only can it be contagious—it can be everything.

    Author

    Bettina L. Love is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning scholar, and the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. A former college basketball player and Big East Player of the Week, she led her team in blocked shots and, in 2023, received the Atlantic Coast Conference Unite Award for advancing racial progress on and off the court. A nationally recognized voice in education, Dr. Love inspires over 100,000 teachers annually and is the author of We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom. She lives in New York City—and still loves playing basketball.

    Frank Morrison started his artistic journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey before a visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris inspired him to become a fine artist and illustrator. He has won numerous awards for his work, including two NAACP Image Awards, the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, and the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award. He has collaborated with Carole Boston Weatherford on numerous titles, including How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee; R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul; Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual; How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace; and The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop. Frank Morrison lives outside Atlanta.
    Bettina Love View titles by Bettina Love
    Frank Morrison View titles by Frank Morrison

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