Oklahoma Reader 57-1

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Children’s Book Reviews Sue Christian Parsons, Ph.D.

RECOMMENDED: BOOKS THAT CHALLENGE, DELIGHT, AND INSPIRE Bold Biographies for Young People What empowers a person to reach beyond what is given to and expected of them to consider and reach for what else might be? One powerful function of a story is to offer possibility. A wellchosen biography not only captivates the imagination but may challenge assumptions about what has been, what is, and what might be. Beyond a simple “who” and “what,” a strong biography calls readers to consider what truly matters in our lives and society. In the best learning contexts, biographies spark dialogue about the world today and tomorrow. Given the increased importance of visual imagery in communication and the vital push to publish more books that reflect diverse, frequently marginalized cultural experiences, multicultural picturebook biographies deserve particular attention on classroom shelves. In their “trueness,” they offer relevance and a sense of attainability. Because they are short, they afford space on the shelf for many cultures and perspectives. Christopher Myers (2014) observes that children “see books less as mirrors and more as maps. They are indeed searching for their place in the world, but they are also deciding where they want to go. They create, through the stories they’re given, an atlas of the world, of their relationships to others, of their possible destinations” (p. 1). The protagonists of the true stories highlighted below lived lives in contexts that tried to restrain their possible paths. Yet, they also found encouragement and inspiration within their communities that helped them move beyond. And, as path-forgers, they intentionally cleared paths for others to move ahead as well. “Also recommended” books offer possible text sets for content and thematic exploration. Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball by Jen Bryant (author) and Frank Morrison (illustrator). 2020; Abrams Books for Young Readers. Young Elgin Baylor and his friends wanted to play basketball, but the city parks in Washington, D.C. were “whites only.” “But things can change in time, the child knew. Time was important. That’s why his own name, Elgin, came from his father’s favorite watch” (n.p.). Eventually, a hoop appeared in a nearby field, and Elgin Baylor’s basketball prodigy appeared, too. From neighborhood court to high school standout to college star (in Idaho because D.C. colleges were “whites only”) to the NBA, Baylor’s style of play was so different that “people stopped what they were doing and watched." When questioned about where he learned his moves, Elgin always told them, “It’s spontaneous.” But civil rights progress in the mid-twentieth century was anything but spontaneous. Bryant narrates Baylor’s

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