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Ka-thumpa, ka-thumpa, ka-thumpa.
that's what people heard all day, if they lived near
Chicago's South side. It was "those boys" and their
basketballs, doing "nonstop layups, all-net free throws, and
sky-high jump shots."
Sure, they were talented
boys. Everyone knew that but they were Black and there were
not many options for them, so those boys joined a traveling
team and they met Abe Saperstein. That was when things
really started happening: it was Saperstein's idea to
re-name the team the "Harlem Globetrotters," which made it
seem like they'd dribbled everywhere around the world.
It was almost as if they
already had: the team played ball nearly every night in
small towns all over the country, but their style was
different. Because people didn't like seeing any Black
players beat the hometown White teams, the boys had to learn
new tricks. They did a "One-finger ball spinning." They did
their "Rapid-fire mini dribbling." People began to laugh,
and they began to enjoy the show as the "Trotters" racked up
wins.
But it wasn't all fun:
there were lots of places where the Globetrotters weren't
welcome. They couldn't get a drink of water just anywhere.
Some hotels turned them away. Sometimes, they weren't
allowed in restaurants.
And still, they played
because they were athletes! Even when most teams in the NBA
wouldn't hire Black players, the Harlem Globetrotters were
real winners on the court. They proved it by beating the
Minnesota Lakers! They could beat anybody!
And then one day,
"something incredible happened"....
Everything spherical in
your house can be dunked. Your 5-to-9-year-old has proven
that, so what next? Well, Swish! will give them
baskets of joy.
With the kind of
quick-paced, wild fun that you get at a Harlem Globetrotters
game, author Suzanne Slade brings that fast action to the
page with a story of racism, perseverance, and resilience.
While there's a main focus on just one generation here –
roughly the Depression years through the early 1950s –
Slade proceeds to show the overall evolution of the team by
including a timeline and additional material. She also
briefly touches upon individual players, but not more recent
ones, which may disappoint grown-ups; kids whose hands are
practically glued to a round, dimpled ball won't notice that
omission at all.
This narrative would be
the lesser without artwork by Don Tate. Kids will love his
movement on the pages; adults will have difficulty not
hearing "Sweet Georgia Brown" in their heads. That makes
Swish! fun, it's fast, and if there's a future NBA or
WNBA fan in your house, your child will love it by the
buckets.
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