I like hoops

It's hard to resist getting drawn into the final seconds of a close game, and this book brings readers right into that feeling. With five minutes left to play and a tied score, our unnamed narrator, a girl with brown skin and dark hair, reaches for a jump ball. When she misses, the other team pulls ahead! Several plays don't go quite as planned, but in the end, our tenacious narrator makes a key steal that leads to a teammate's winning basket. Though the simple, digitally created illustrations feel a bit flat-footed, the back-and-forth of the game is unusually exciting for such a highly decodable text. Readers and their adults may also appreciate the good sportsmanship modeled throughout by the teammates ("Nice try"), coaches ("Almost"), and fans ("Go go go"). Our narrator experiences several setbacks ("I miss" and "I slip"), but that does not stop her from concluding that "I like hoops." A narrative for very early readers that doesn't sacrifice story in the name of decodability? That's a definite win!

PreS-Gr 1--A game of basketball is tied with only five minutes to go. Short, simple sentences describe the action as the visiting team scores a few baskets, the home team responds, and the crowd cheers enthusiastically. With only 10 seconds remaining, the home team shoots and scores, leading to a victory. Filled with sight words, a variation of short and long vowels, and repetition, this title is an excellent choice for new and emerging readers. Each spread features approximately one to three sentences with up to 10 words, many of which describe the images, such as "I jump" and "The ball goes in." Colorful illustrations are lively and eye-catching; the characters have diverse backgrounds. While there is nothing groundbreaking here in terms of storytelling, readers are sure to enjoy the energetic illustrations and relatable story. VERDICT A fast-paced and compelling sports choice for early reader collections.--Olivia Gorecke