(1) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Morse. Taking over an unruly gym class that had already run off two predecessors, James Naismith needs a game where "accuracy was more valuable than force." And so basketball is concocted. Coy's tight focus on the sport's initial season--only one point was scored in the first game--is immediately engrossing. Morse's kinetic paintings fill the spreads, capturing the game's combination of power and finesse. Bib.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(4) 4-6 Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas series. This volume presents an account of the invention and development of one of America's favorite sports and chronicles the life and very diverse successes of its inventor Naismith. "Real fact" inserts and archival photographs accompany the readable text; the design suffers from garish graphics and borders. Generic suggestions to encourage young inventors are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 I Like Inventors! series. This introduction to James Naismith, the school minister who invented basketball, provides very basic information about his life, such as his upbringing and motivations, as well as the game itself; there’s little about its evolution, giving readers no sense of the magnitude of his achievement. Photos, many archival, are included in every spread. A related activity ends the title. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies series. Naismith--athlete, minister, and YMCA student teacher--was given two weeks in 1891 "to invent an exciting indoor game." In simple terms, Wyckoff explains how Naismith's childhood inspired his career choices and his invention of basketball. The captioned archival photographs tend to be static. A diagram of the first patented "basket ball" is interesting, but it's someone else's invention. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi