School Library Journal Review
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
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.)
Horn Book Review
Slade and Tate provide an overview of the development and rise to fame of the Harlem Globetrotters, with origins on Chicago's South Side in the 1920s and still thrilling viewers with their skills today. Because the players were Black, the team had to play exclusively on the road, facing racism and violence ("hometown fans didn't like out-of-town hotshots skunking their team") as they "barnstormed their way across America." Their popularity soared when they began incorporating ball-handling tricks into their play -- but professional basketball remained all white. In 1948 the team challenged the powerhouse Minnesota Lakers to a game -- and won; two years later, Chuck Cooper (a Globetrotters recruit) became the first Black player to be drafted into the NBA. Known as "America's Ambassadors of Goodwill," the Globetrotters' impact extends beyond the world of sports. Slade's peppy main text is short on dates and details, as the team's history is somewhat apocryphal; the useful back matter, including "More on the Trotters," an artist's note, a timeline, select sources, and archival photos, provides additional information. Tate's illustrations, done digitally in his usual big-hearted-caricature style (Whoosh!, rev. 7/16, and others), are an ideal match for the subject, with the players' tallness and thinness perfectly exaggerated, and the forever-motion of that big orange ball and its handlers spinning, twirling, and dunking on every scene. Elissa Gershowitz November/December 2020 p.134(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A lively look at the history of the Harlem Globetrotters. Five serious African American basketball players with no opportunity to play in the top teams due to the racism of the 1920s took their basketball skills on the road, calling themselves the Harlem Globe Trotters (they became the Globetrotters sometime in the '30s). White America had a hard time coping with the Trotters' beating their teams--until the Trotters changed the way they played. They turned their games into theatrics, emphasizing slapstick and hilarity while at the same time honing their skills till "they played the most breathtaking, groundbreaking ball the country had ever seen." In 1948, Globetrotters finally got an opportunity to challenge the Minnesota Lakers, the best team in the Whites-only NBA. The Globetrotters' win caused the entire NBA to reconsider their recruitment policy. Slade has done careful, thorough research, easily engaging young readers as they learn about the Globetrotters' groundbreaking history. Veteran illustrator Tate creates constant movement, visually underscoring the title with dynamic (sometimes impossible) perspectives and basketballs caught in stop-motion fashion as they fly across the court. Robust backmatter bolsters the account, including a detailed timeline that's thoughtfully printed on the inside pages of the endpapers so that pasted-down jacket flaps will not obscure any of it. From beginning to end, fans will feel connected to the dynamic style of the Globetrotters and how they influenced American history. (further information, artist's note, selected sources, photos) (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Nowadays, the Globetrotters are known more for trick moves and comical antics than competitive basketball, but it wasn't always so. This picture-book biography focuses on the squad as a whole, beginning with their Chicago origins as the New York Harlem Globetrotters and touching generally on the the team's inception, their barnstorming across the nation, and their road to becoming the most popular basketball team in the world. The story culminates with an extended section on their competitive showdown with the Minnesota Lakers, the all-white National Basketball League's best team. Slade gently highlights how racism and segregation constrained the Globetrotters and how their success broke racial barriers, but the primary focus is on the delightful play of this ongoing line of talented athletes. Lively text mimics the energy of the game--though some language ("one-handed dunk shots") may feel awkward to today's fans--and Tate's artwork beautifully reflects the joy, talent, and athleticism through big smiles and elongated limbs. Basketball fans will enjoy this introduction to an iconic sports institution.
