Reiko's team

The Be a Good Sport series (12 titles) utilizes both fiction and nonfiction titles to introduce the concept of sportsmanship to the earliest readers. Conveniently, volumes can be paired to approach similar topics. The fiction title Reiko's Team makes a natural pairing with the nonfiction title Being a Good Teammate. The former features a series of colorfully illustrated double spreads showing a girl playing soccer and performing common moves, each of which is paired with a simple sentence, e.g., "Reiko throws the ball to her teammate" (with only the verb changing from page to page; Reiko also passes, rolls, and kicks the ball to her teammates). The nonfiction companion book takes a nearly identical approach to its topic, utilizing photography instead of artwork. Each volume concludes with a question prompting readers to consider times they've applied these concepts in their daily lives, plus a picture glossary of basic vocabulary (e.g., ladder, slide, swings). Series-wide, the illustrations are careful to include a racially diverse cast. An appealingly minimal primer on the fundamentals of sportsmanship and social-emotional learning.

K-Gr 2--Playtime situations familiar to young children are presented in this series. These fictionalized stories that address sports-related topics are suitable for newly independent readers, and also can be used for discussions in both general and physical education classes. Settings vary among the books. Characters depicted with a range of Black, brown, and white skin tones ensure that kids of many backgrounds will feel represented. Dev Tries His Best focuses on an individual's effort, rather than the outcome, in gym class. Good Game and Reiko's Team introduce concepts of sportsmanship and connecting with others in baseball and soccer. Your Turn and Not Yet! are perhaps the simplest of the stories, dealing with basic good manners at the playground and patience at home while playing a game of hide-and-seek. Jordan Says Good Job is the one title that might have expanded a bit further on its theme. The main character, who loses at a race, a tennis match, and a game of checkers, is consistently gracious to the winner, but it would have been nice to see the winners return the same praise. The format of each book is identical, with a table of contents, two short chapters, a question to engage readers, a picture glossary, and an index. Most spreads have one or two sentences and vocabulary appropriate for early leveled readers. Full-page color illustrations are bright and cheerful. VERDICT These will be useful additions to collections that provide resources for children just beginning to read independently, or where sports topics are in demand among kindergarten and primary grade students.--Gloria Koster