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H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination
One day at the basketball court, two kids, a familiar challenge--H.O.R.S.E.?
But this isn’t your grandmother’s game of hoops.
Not when a layup
from the other side of the court
standing on one foot
with your eyes closed is just the warm-up.
Around the neighborhood, around the world, off Saturn’s rings, the pair goes back and forth.
The game is as much about skill as it is about imagination.
A slam dunk from multi-award-winning author/illustrator Christopher Myers, H.O.R.S.E. is a celebration of the sport of basketball, the art of trash-talking, and the idea that what’s possible is bounded only by what you can dream.
But this isn’t your grandmother’s game of hoops.
Not when a layup
from the other side of the court
standing on one foot
with your eyes closed is just the warm-up.
Around the neighborhood, around the world, off Saturn’s rings, the pair goes back and forth.
The game is as much about skill as it is about imagination.
A slam dunk from multi-award-winning author/illustrator Christopher Myers, H.O.R.S.E. is a celebration of the sport of basketball, the art of trash-talking, and the idea that what’s possible is bounded only by what you can dream.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 25, 2012
6 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Myers
65 books34 followersChristopher Dean "Chris" Myers is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. In 1998, Myers won a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in Harlem. The following year, he wrote and illustrated Black Cat, a book that received a Coretta Scott King Award (2000). In addition to writing and illustrating his own stories, Myers often illustrates books written by his father Walter Dean Myers.
Source: Wikipedia.
Source: Wikipedia.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
October 20, 2012
This dialogue driven book is full of imagination and playfulness. It feels just like overhearing two boys mess around on the basketball court. The premise is just as uncluttered as the illustrations.
August 23, 2015
I probably wouldn't have liked this book if I had read it but we listened to the audio and the reader is also the author who puts so much into the book. I especially liked the author notes that he read at the end.
October 22, 2013
Why This Book: This title will add breadth to the collection by offering an engaging story about basketball! There are a number of students who would be excited to find a book about their favorite sport, and right now there are few books about sports and no basketball stories available.
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Theme/KW: basketball, imagination, friendship
Quality: The story incorporates a friendly competition between friends, but it is good children's literature because it explores their friendship through an imaginative narrative.
Features: Many pages feature unconventional text direction to show movement. The book also includes a message from the author about his experience playing basketball when he was growing up.
Characters: Two Males, African American
Cultural Considerations: This book shows two African American children as main characters sharing ideas and using their creativity.
Language: Some advanced vocabulary and some sports vocabulary.
Question: Why do you think the two boys say they can make these crazy shots?
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Theme/KW: basketball, imagination, friendship
Quality: The story incorporates a friendly competition between friends, but it is good children's literature because it explores their friendship through an imaginative narrative.
Features: Many pages feature unconventional text direction to show movement. The book also includes a message from the author about his experience playing basketball when he was growing up.
Characters: Two Males, African American
Cultural Considerations: This book shows two African American children as main characters sharing ideas and using their creativity.
Language: Some advanced vocabulary and some sports vocabulary.
Question: Why do you think the two boys say they can make these crazy shots?
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July 10, 2013Genre - Realistic Fiction
Audience - Intermediate & Primary
Quote - "As I approach the court, somewhere over New Jersey, I'll Raise back, open my mouth, dunk the ball through the baseket there, with my tongue!" (p 19)
This book is full of quotes that allow students to create fantastic mental pictures. While the illustrations in this book are fantastic, I would read this book to students without the pictures and have them create their own. I chose this particular quote becuase of the silly nature of it and becuase it was the one I wanted to draw my own illustration to.
Audience - Intermediate & Primary
Quote - "As I approach the court, somewhere over New Jersey, I'll Raise back, open my mouth, dunk the ball through the baseket there, with my tongue!" (p 19)
This book is full of quotes that allow students to create fantastic mental pictures. While the illustrations in this book are fantastic, I would read this book to students without the pictures and have them create their own. I chose this particular quote becuase of the silly nature of it and becuase it was the one I wanted to draw my own illustration to.
November 18, 2012
LOVE this. Sounds just like my family and I playing ANYTHING, including horse and ghost, or whatever we were calling it in the moment. Such a great example of a typical conversation between two young friends (or even some old ones, let's be honest-we can still be silly). Working together you can often come up with a much better story than alone.
May 5, 2015
2013 CSKing Illustrator Honor
2015 Odyssey Award Winner
This audio is excellent!!!! 4-star rating for the story and illustrations though.
2015 Odyssey Award Winner
This audio is excellent!!!! 4-star rating for the story and illustrations though.
November 16, 2014
Loved the trash talking these two friends do while playing HORSE.
Reminded me of some great Michael Jordan-Larry Bird McDonalds commercials from back in the day!
Reminded me of some great Michael Jordan-Larry Bird McDonalds commercials from back in the day!
October 10, 2021
H.O.R.S.E: A Game of Basketball and Imagination written and illustrated by Christopher Myers was a fun read! I chose this story from the recommended section of our course textbook, as I was not familiar with this picture book or author. In this story, two unnamed teens challenge each other to a game of H.O.R.S.E. The boys first discuss the rules, comparing it to the game ‘Ghost’. After the first boy describes his epic shot, “layup with my eyes closed”, the second boy teases his easy shot. He counters with an even more challenging shot, as his goal is to shoot from the neighboring school. The two boys go back and forth with their ideas, each increasing in difficulty and absurdness until they reach outer space. H.O.R.S.E is a celebration of creativity and imagination, as well as the sport of basketball.
Throughout the text, Myers words and illustrations add to the enjoyment of the story. The written words creatively move across the pages along with the images. For example, the words are written diagonally up the stairs on one page or curved across the globe on another. While the setting and characters are never described, the details in the illustrations provide some information. For instance, the urban setting is beautifully depicted with tall buildings surrounding the basketball court in collage format. Readers can also use the characters’ visual appearances to make inferences on their age, race, and gender. The two main characters are depicted as African American, so there is racial diversity. However, the book does not explicitly state the boys’ race or define them culturally. This reminded me of the example of Snowy Day, and how the illustration is the only indication of diversity. There is no cultural specificity, despite the author being African American. These are important things to think about when deciding if or how you want to read this book.
I could use this book in the classroom as a read aloud, as it is recommended to readers ages 4 - 12. I probably would not choose to teach my students about different cultures, as there are no specific details in the story that reflect diverse perspectives. However, it could be used for other reasons. This book was enjoyable to read and I believe that students would be engaged in the format, as the story increases in absurdity. Students will be on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. I could also use this book as a mentor text. The whole book is written as a conversation between two characters. This could be helpful in showcasing how to write realistic dialogue. The characters sound real when they talk to each other; “that’s not bad for an amateur.” It could also be used for modeling how to use commas, as there are a lot of commas used throughout the text, such as in lists.
Throughout the text, Myers words and illustrations add to the enjoyment of the story. The written words creatively move across the pages along with the images. For example, the words are written diagonally up the stairs on one page or curved across the globe on another. While the setting and characters are never described, the details in the illustrations provide some information. For instance, the urban setting is beautifully depicted with tall buildings surrounding the basketball court in collage format. Readers can also use the characters’ visual appearances to make inferences on their age, race, and gender. The two main characters are depicted as African American, so there is racial diversity. However, the book does not explicitly state the boys’ race or define them culturally. This reminded me of the example of Snowy Day, and how the illustration is the only indication of diversity. There is no cultural specificity, despite the author being African American. These are important things to think about when deciding if or how you want to read this book.
I could use this book in the classroom as a read aloud, as it is recommended to readers ages 4 - 12. I probably would not choose to teach my students about different cultures, as there are no specific details in the story that reflect diverse perspectives. However, it could be used for other reasons. This book was enjoyable to read and I believe that students would be engaged in the format, as the story increases in absurdity. Students will be on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. I could also use this book as a mentor text. The whole book is written as a conversation between two characters. This could be helpful in showcasing how to write realistic dialogue. The characters sound real when they talk to each other; “that’s not bad for an amateur.” It could also be used for modeling how to use commas, as there are a lot of commas used throughout the text, such as in lists.
June 27, 2021
Loved this one! Christopher Myers author's note reminded me of aspects of my youth. Playing ball with my friends, imagining the possibilities of a game we loved and creating dreams we hoped to live out on and off the court.
November 14, 2018
K-2
Narrative/Picture Book
This is the fun, quirky, and colorful tale of how two young boys increasingly "one-up" each other in sophisticate ways while playing an inspiring and imaginative game of H.O.R.S.E.
I think this read out loud would be a great way to open kids up to the concept of creative writing, discussing what is "possible", "impossible", and if it matters if a story is real or fabricated. Following the reading, student's could turn to a neighbor and share a free throw they would make. Student's summative assessment could be to create an additional page in the story representing their creative throw.
Narrative/Picture Book
This is the fun, quirky, and colorful tale of how two young boys increasingly "one-up" each other in sophisticate ways while playing an inspiring and imaginative game of H.O.R.S.E.
I think this read out loud would be a great way to open kids up to the concept of creative writing, discussing what is "possible", "impossible", and if it matters if a story is real or fabricated. Following the reading, student's could turn to a neighbor and share a free throw they would make. Student's summative assessment could be to create an additional page in the story representing their creative throw.
January 9, 2013
A basketball court + a ball + two kids = the perfect sum to play horse! When two boys meet at the basketball court, they immediately invite one another to play horse or ghost. It’s the game where one person takes a shot and then the other person has to try to match the shot exactly. It starts out simply enough with a layup with your eyes closed, but watch where this game goes! Filled with a banter that challenges one another to seek an even wilder idea, the two boys quickly start to talk about shooting a basket from the roof of a neighboring building when standing on one toe. The Magellan shot takes it even further, with a jump across the ocean and around the world and a dunk with a tongue! That’s not the end of the game though, you will just have to read it to see the final play.
I love the playfulness of this book and the friendly tone of the banter between the two boys. The fact that not a single shot is actually thrown makes it very funny too. This is not a challenge about sports but about imagination and thinking outside the court. Myers writes with a feel for modern dialogue between teens that doesn’t resort to modern vernacular but instead has the perfect rhythm and posturing. Myers’ art is equally modern with lanky boys against bright colored backgrounds. He also mixes in photographs and builds collages that add texture and pattern.
Great fun to read, it will have you challenged to a game of horse as soon as you can find a court and a ball. My favorite shots were always with my eyes closed and backwards. How about you? Appropriate for ages 5-7.
I love the playfulness of this book and the friendly tone of the banter between the two boys. The fact that not a single shot is actually thrown makes it very funny too. This is not a challenge about sports but about imagination and thinking outside the court. Myers writes with a feel for modern dialogue between teens that doesn’t resort to modern vernacular but instead has the perfect rhythm and posturing. Myers’ art is equally modern with lanky boys against bright colored backgrounds. He also mixes in photographs and builds collages that add texture and pattern.
Great fun to read, it will have you challenged to a game of horse as soon as you can find a court and a ball. My favorite shots were always with my eyes closed and backwards. How about you? Appropriate for ages 5-7.
September 23, 2014
I met author/illustrator/very-tall-person Christopher Myers this last spring in New York at a breakfast event put on by Egmont USA. Myers is a talented artist AND an entertaining conversationalist, and he kept our entire table amused with basketball stories. It was special to hear straight from the author about his inspiration for his Coretta Scott King Honor book. Afterward he was kind enough to personalize a copy of H.O.R.S.E. for me. It was an early meeting, so I can’t say I was my most sparkling self, but I remember the morning fondly, and the book is of course a beautiful reminder.
But what about the story? It’s a conversation between two kids in the city, united by their love of basketball and wide imaginations. They know the game H.O.R.S.E. by different names, and they may have different ideas of the parameters – but once it starts, their dreams expand. It’s half trash talk, half tall tale, and a joy to read. It’s a testament to the power of sport (or any shared interest) to unite people and fire imagination.
The artwork, though! It’s another step up. Mixed media (some paint, some altered photographs) blend to create the setting: first the basketball court, then the cityscape, and then the planet and space. The two unnamed main characters are African-American kids with a passion for the game, and Myers has distilled their gangly adolescence in these pages, as well as the boastful reach of their dreams.
In all, H.O.R.S.E. is a beautiful book and an homage to a game, a friendship, and telling stories.
Recommended for: all-ages fans of art, picture books, and basketball.
But what about the story? It’s a conversation between two kids in the city, united by their love of basketball and wide imaginations. They know the game H.O.R.S.E. by different names, and they may have different ideas of the parameters – but once it starts, their dreams expand. It’s half trash talk, half tall tale, and a joy to read. It’s a testament to the power of sport (or any shared interest) to unite people and fire imagination.
The artwork, though! It’s another step up. Mixed media (some paint, some altered photographs) blend to create the setting: first the basketball court, then the cityscape, and then the planet and space. The two unnamed main characters are African-American kids with a passion for the game, and Myers has distilled their gangly adolescence in these pages, as well as the boastful reach of their dreams.
In all, H.O.R.S.E. is a beautiful book and an homage to a game, a friendship, and telling stories.
Recommended for: all-ages fans of art, picture books, and basketball.
July 13, 2013
Audience: Primary
Genre: Fantasy
Quote: "I'm going to stand here, at half-court, with my back to the hoop and I'm going to skyhook this ball clear across the court into that basket, with my eyes closed, standing on one foot, over my left shoulder." (p. 7)
The reason that I chose this quote is because it is very descriptive about how the boy will shoot the basketball into the basketball hoop, and I immediately have a picture in my head of what he is doing. In this book, the boy is playing a basketball game called "horse" against another boy. The object of this basketball game is to shoot the basketball into the basketball hoop, make the shot, and hope that the other person misses. This quote shows how the boy is trying to shoot a difficult basketball shot so that the other boy can try the shot and miss the basket. This quote has very specific details about where the boy will be standing when he shoots the basketball, which is at the middle of the basketball court and faced the opposite way of the basketball hoop. The quote also states exactly how the boy will shoot the basketball, which is by throwing the basketball over his left shoulder with his eyes shut and standing on only one foot. This helps the reader "see" what the boy's body looks like while he is shooting the basketball. I think that this quote would be great to read to the students, without showing the picture, and then having the students pretend that they have a basketball to "act" it out. There are many specific quotes throughout this book that would also work for the students to "act" out.
Genre: Fantasy
Quote: "I'm going to stand here, at half-court, with my back to the hoop and I'm going to skyhook this ball clear across the court into that basket, with my eyes closed, standing on one foot, over my left shoulder." (p. 7)
The reason that I chose this quote is because it is very descriptive about how the boy will shoot the basketball into the basketball hoop, and I immediately have a picture in my head of what he is doing. In this book, the boy is playing a basketball game called "horse" against another boy. The object of this basketball game is to shoot the basketball into the basketball hoop, make the shot, and hope that the other person misses. This quote shows how the boy is trying to shoot a difficult basketball shot so that the other boy can try the shot and miss the basket. This quote has very specific details about where the boy will be standing when he shoots the basketball, which is at the middle of the basketball court and faced the opposite way of the basketball hoop. The quote also states exactly how the boy will shoot the basketball, which is by throwing the basketball over his left shoulder with his eyes shut and standing on only one foot. This helps the reader "see" what the boy's body looks like while he is shooting the basketball. I think that this quote would be great to read to the students, without showing the picture, and then having the students pretend that they have a basketball to "act" it out. There are many specific quotes throughout this book that would also work for the students to "act" out.
March 20, 2015
One sunny day on a city basketball court, one young man challenges another to a game of H.O.R.S.E. as they debate who will take the first shot, the game turns from basketball shots to who can imagine the most fantastically spectacular one. From the court they soar to the top of tall buildings in a single bound, then through the stratosphere, around the globe, and then around the solar system to land with a tongue dunk.
Myers’s brightly colored paint and collage illustrations for his tale of imaginative bragging on the court that goes from urban to interplanetary in just 32 pages (including a cameo of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson) garnered him a Coretta Scott King illustrator honor in 2013. It has been boosted into a higher orbit by the recording of the books dialog with the author and producer Dion Graham voicing the two young rivals. The Live Oak Media disc that comes packaged with the book won the 2015 Odyssey Award for the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.
Myers’s brightly colored paint and collage illustrations for his tale of imaginative bragging on the court that goes from urban to interplanetary in just 32 pages (including a cameo of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson) garnered him a Coretta Scott King illustrator honor in 2013. It has been boosted into a higher orbit by the recording of the books dialog with the author and producer Dion Graham voicing the two young rivals. The Live Oak Media disc that comes packaged with the book won the 2015 Odyssey Award for the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.
October 25, 2015
H.O.R.S.E. is a multicultural book that won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 2013. I found this title on NLU's multicultural list and liked the summary of it. The illustrations are beautiful and flow from page to page. They bring life to the words on the page as well. I rated this book a 1/5 because there wasn't much to it. I was disappointed with the content and was expecting more from it.
This book is about two boys playing a game of HORSE. One boy calls it HORSE and the other one calls it GHOSTS. Either way, they realize they play the same game, but call it something different. One boy starts to take a shot and the other boy tell him that his shot is way too easy before he takes it. The book continues with each boy trying to "out-do" the other creating a fantasy story where they claim to stand on top of schools and go to space to shoot the ball. The story ends without ever playing the game.
I don't think this rates highly on the rating scale at all because culture is not portrayed at all. We don't know anything about the characters or where they live. I can see this being a quick read aloud in PE before a basketball unit, but can't see myself using it in the classroom to teach reading skills as their isn't a lot of content to work with.
This book is about two boys playing a game of HORSE. One boy calls it HORSE and the other one calls it GHOSTS. Either way, they realize they play the same game, but call it something different. One boy starts to take a shot and the other boy tell him that his shot is way too easy before he takes it. The book continues with each boy trying to "out-do" the other creating a fantasy story where they claim to stand on top of schools and go to space to shoot the ball. The story ends without ever playing the game.
I don't think this rates highly on the rating scale at all because culture is not portrayed at all. We don't know anything about the characters or where they live. I can see this being a quick read aloud in PE before a basketball unit, but can't see myself using it in the classroom to teach reading skills as their isn't a lot of content to work with.
March 15, 2018
This book was a fun basketball game that goes by the name of H.O.R.S.E. there were two characters a boy and girl. It started off with the girl asking the boy if he wanted to play Horse with her he agreed but although it was the same he mentioned that its called "Ghost" bach where he's from. The girl said ill start by doing a layup with my eyes closed and the boy mentioned how easy that would be, so from there on they started going back in forth of what they'll do instead, they were saying unrealistic things such as "I'll shoot a layup with my left foot from a 347 stair case building" "or "I'll shot a shot jumping clear across the Africa and back to Northern America in one large jump" They were so busy going back in forth with each other of who could do the most impressive layup or shot they never did get a chance to actual play the game of H.O.R.S.E.
he literacy of this book were simple words, the words were big and it made it fun for kids to read because the words weren't just horizontal on the page they would curve up which is great and fun for children.
I gave this book 5starts because it was funny the two children were very dramatic with there over exaggeration, which is how most children are especially when there having fun.
he literacy of this book were simple words, the words were big and it made it fun for kids to read because the words weren't just horizontal on the page they would curve up which is great and fun for children.
I gave this book 5starts because it was funny the two children were very dramatic with there over exaggeration, which is how most children are especially when there having fun.
August 22, 2017
Okay, if at all possible, find the audio production of this book to go along with your reading. While I normally don't bother with picture books, since the time it would take me to just get the thing loaded and ready would far surpass the time to just READ the book, this production definitely earned its Odyssey Award, given for best audiobook of the year. Christopher Myers reads both sides of the game of HORSE, and manages to keep them fairly separate, despite only having one voice, himself. But it's the sound effects that really helped this win. Yes, Myers had a lot of energy in his reading, but the small audio touches are just enchanting.
The book itself, without audio, is pretty fun, as well. Perhaps I'd have only given it 4 stars, but basketball is such a common love among kids that I'd still have advocated for pretty liberal purchases. Not just public libraries and schools, but any family that is into sport would get a lot of repeat reads from this book. It does a good job in the beginning of teaching the game of HORSE, and then going on in these high-energy bursts to completely redefine and mythologize the game.
Good fun, go give the book AND the game a try!
The book itself, without audio, is pretty fun, as well. Perhaps I'd have only given it 4 stars, but basketball is such a common love among kids that I'd still have advocated for pretty liberal purchases. Not just public libraries and schools, but any family that is into sport would get a lot of repeat reads from this book. It does a good job in the beginning of teaching the game of HORSE, and then going on in these high-energy bursts to completely redefine and mythologize the game.
Good fun, go give the book AND the game a try!
November 27, 2016
Christopher Myers plays with the relationship between illustration and text, placing the text in a way so that it moves in the way the ball might move. For example, the text says "am I'm going to skyhook this ball clear across the court into that basket" and the lines are arranged in an arc from the boy to the basketball hoop. Similarly, his friend says, "I'm going to bounce the ball off that water fountain, off the third cloud (the one that's shaped like a Cadillac." The text starts arcing down from the player's hands until it reaches the water fountain, where it then arcs upward again over the cloud. (bouncing, flying, etc.). The characters imagine all of the ways they would play H.O.R.S.E. without us ever seeing the basketball game (as the subtitle cleverly acknowledges, the game is as much about what you can imagine as how you play). This would be a great text to pair with Jazz, another book illustrated by Christopher Myers that also has the text placed in a variety of ways around the illustrations.
April 17, 2018
Two boys go outside to play H.O.R.S.E, a basketball game where you make up crazy shots and see if other people can do them too. If they can't, they get a letter added to their score. These boys start to invent absolutely crazy shots, such as off of a 437 story building or into outer space. Clearly these things can't really be done, but they go to town on imagining new tricks and claiming that they're capable of doing them. This is a fun, competitive book which many kids can probably relate to.
I gave this book four stars. It's about a game many kids have played, but it's a variation on that familiar game. This makes it a story kids will connect to enough based on familiarity, but they'll also have fun imagining the less realistic parts. The characters are competitive and driven, which are good qualities. They push each other in a friendly way. I think many kids will enjoy this book, particularly sports fans.
I gave this book four stars. It's about a game many kids have played, but it's a variation on that familiar game. This makes it a story kids will connect to enough based on familiarity, but they'll also have fun imagining the less realistic parts. The characters are competitive and driven, which are good qualities. They push each other in a friendly way. I think many kids will enjoy this book, particularly sports fans.
March 22, 2013
H.O.R.S.E.
Audience: After reading this book I think it would best fit grades 1-4. This book is very fun and has a subject that would fit great with students this age. Along with the basketball game it gives a great story with imagination and friends.
Appeal: The story has a great basketball topic and incorporates a lesson about friends and their imagination. It’s a type of story that will appeal to all kids because its just so fun to think out of the box. The kids will like to hear what comes next to up the last basketball shot.
Application: This is a great book for imagination. When teaching in class if the students read this book they could definitely try to come up with their own story. It will also teach the students to think out of the box, they don’t always need to write a story that could be real.
Award: 2013 Illustration award honor-Coretta Scott King
Copyright:2012
Audience: After reading this book I think it would best fit grades 1-4. This book is very fun and has a subject that would fit great with students this age. Along with the basketball game it gives a great story with imagination and friends.
Appeal: The story has a great basketball topic and incorporates a lesson about friends and their imagination. It’s a type of story that will appeal to all kids because its just so fun to think out of the box. The kids will like to hear what comes next to up the last basketball shot.
Application: This is a great book for imagination. When teaching in class if the students read this book they could definitely try to come up with their own story. It will also teach the students to think out of the box, they don’t always need to write a story that could be real.
Award: 2013 Illustration award honor-Coretta Scott King
Copyright:2012
April 26, 2014
H.O.R.S.E. is about two boys playing the classic basketball game of "h.o.r.s.e." The pair go back and forth questioning each other's moves and tricks to score, all the while the game escalates. The pair use their imaginations to do crazy things on the court, and the game is as much about creativity as it is about how well one can play the game. The illustrations in this book are so vivid! They are painted and they fit around the words differently on each page. This book is not styled like an everyday children's book, the words swirl across the page and vary in location on each page. For the audience, I would say that this book is extremely fun to read. We can keep guessing at what the two kids will come up with next, and we can't wait to see what the next illustration will look like while reading such a story.
February 16, 2017
This book is imaginative and funny. Two main characters are at a basketball court in the middle of the city, and they decide to play a game of H.O.R.S.E. This sparks a discussion full of smack-talk where the main characters debate back and forth who is the amateur and what kind of basketball shots they are going to make. Their shots get more and more elaborate as they talk about bouncing the basketball off of the moon and into the hoop. The author was inspired to write this book because of his childhood and playing this basketball game with his friend. This book was entertaining and creative, which are two important characteristics for a children's book to be. I think maybe children grades 2-4 may like this book because they can understand it and may have even played the game of H.O.R.S.E. themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2012
The other day, I had a 2nd grade student approach me with a basketball on the playground. He said, "Can your daughters' dad do this?" And he bounced it as quickly and carefully as he could, while the ball managed to hit his toe and bounce away at a rapid speed. Even a 2nd grade boy is challenging my husband to a basketball duel and my husband wasn't there to defend himself. H.O.R.S.E. is a version of the previously stated scenario, just two friends against one another instead. With illustrations somewhat reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats, this book humorously shares how carried away we can get in boasting our athletic abilities, whether we truly have them or not. A rare opportunity this book may bring to collaborate a lesson with the gym teacher.
June 3, 2013
H.O.R.S.E. is a book about two kids playing the game of matching shots in basketball. The two kids go back and forth saying what type of shot they are going to do getting more creative and more complicated each time. The shots range from on top of a building to around the world to outer space. This book won a Coretta Scott King Honor Award. The art in the book is simple and only focuses on the important aspects of the story; some pages will only show the two basketball players and others will include little bits of the city pr world showing what type of shot they'll do.The story is an entertaining look at two kids competitive spirit and nature while playing basketball and also a look at the imagination that even a simple game like H.O.R.S.E. can inspire.
Read
July 16, 2013Audience: primary
Genre: fantasy
Quote that provides a mental image
"I will stand on one tiptoe, balance myself on the topmost corner of the 437 story building and shoot a perfect layup"
I love this boom and the mental images it provides! If you want children's imaginations to start running wild this is the book for you! This is a book about 2 friends that play h.o.r.s.e together, a game I played many times growing up. They try to make the next shot more difficult than the last and one up each other to make their shot more difficult than the one before. The friendly competition and imagination of these children is fantastic and puts multiple great pictures in your head throughout the whole story.
Genre: fantasy
Quote that provides a mental image
"I will stand on one tiptoe, balance myself on the topmost corner of the 437 story building and shoot a perfect layup"
I love this boom and the mental images it provides! If you want children's imaginations to start running wild this is the book for you! This is a book about 2 friends that play h.o.r.s.e together, a game I played many times growing up. They try to make the next shot more difficult than the last and one up each other to make their shot more difficult than the one before. The friendly competition and imagination of these children is fantastic and puts multiple great pictures in your head throughout the whole story.
June 24, 2015
There are a lot of books about basketball, so a text-to-text connection for H.O.R.S.E. could be accomplished somewhat easily by any reader. One of the books I would connect it to would be Hoop Genius by John Coy and Joe Morse, which is a non-fiction picture book about James Naismith's invention of the sport back in 1891. Aside from showing how the game has changed from Naismith's original rules, such the game HORSE (or GHOST, as it's known to one the characters) being created within basketball, I think it would be interesting to show that both games started as a way to have fun and escape boredom, as the two characters in this book and Naismith's students sought to do. Also, don't miss the cameo by Neil deGrasse Tyson during the last shot.
July 15, 2013
Audience: Primary
Genre: Fiction Picture Book-Multicultural
Quote: In the author's note at the end of the story, Christopher Myers writes about his friend, Kambui, and how they played together "with our heads and our hearts." "H.O.R.S.E. is a game like that, a game of imagination and skill, an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better contest." I liked how the author related it to not just the basketball skills of himself and his friends, but also to the outrageous claims and possibilities using their imaginations opened up to them. All children should be able to play with their imaginations, and this book would be a great topic piece to help spark creativity.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book-Multicultural
Quote: In the author's note at the end of the story, Christopher Myers writes about his friend, Kambui, and how they played together "with our heads and our hearts." "H.O.R.S.E. is a game like that, a game of imagination and skill, an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better contest." I liked how the author related it to not just the basketball skills of himself and his friends, but also to the outrageous claims and possibilities using their imaginations opened up to them. All children should be able to play with their imaginations, and this book would be a great topic piece to help spark creativity.
March 16, 2015
Written and illustrated by Christopher Myers
Narrated by Christopher Myers and Dion Graham
Live Oak Media, 2014
Two young friends engage in game of basketball on an urban court, replete with verbal sparring that leads to some wonderfully imaginative results. Fluid, whimsical illustrations complement the free-flowing, humorous, over-the-top text. Jocular narration by Myers and Graham heightens the delight listeners will hear both players taking in the game. Jaunty music and sound effects extend the fun, making this a read-along that truly enhances the original medium. Offer this one to sports-loving kids in grades 3-5.
Narrated by Christopher Myers and Dion Graham
Live Oak Media, 2014
Two young friends engage in game of basketball on an urban court, replete with verbal sparring that leads to some wonderfully imaginative results. Fluid, whimsical illustrations complement the free-flowing, humorous, over-the-top text. Jocular narration by Myers and Graham heightens the delight listeners will hear both players taking in the game. Jaunty music and sound effects extend the fun, making this a read-along that truly enhances the original medium. Offer this one to sports-loving kids in grades 3-5.
April 19, 2019
H.O.R.S.E is a picture book about a game of HORSE between two friends that have wild imaginations. Whether it's flying above the buildings to then dunk the ball with their tongue, or a trip around outer space, these two friends have a wild time playing basketball together. This book is full of illustrations combined with actual photos.
I would say this is a 1st-2nd grade level book. It's funny and it doesn't have too many words so I see students that age enjoying it. I would use this book in my class because it's funny, has cool illustrations, and shows a special friendship between two people who love playing basketball.
I would say this is a 1st-2nd grade level book. It's funny and it doesn't have too many words so I see students that age enjoying it. I would use this book in my class because it's funny, has cool illustrations, and shows a special friendship between two people who love playing basketball.
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July 23, 2013Audience: 1st-5th grade
Genre: Fantasy fiction picture book
Quote: "When I get there on the roof of the building 437 stories high, I will first calculate the wind speed and direction, then, ever so carefully, I will stand on one tiny tiptoe, balance myself on the topmost corner of the 437-story building, and shoot a perfect layup,
With my left...
foot.
This brings such a unique picture to my mind. I can visualize the exaggerated building he is climbing and the ever so careful shot off his foot. It is the beginning of the imaginative shots that fill this book.
Genre: Fantasy fiction picture book
Quote: "When I get there on the roof of the building 437 stories high, I will first calculate the wind speed and direction, then, ever so carefully, I will stand on one tiny tiptoe, balance myself on the topmost corner of the 437-story building, and shoot a perfect layup,
With my left...
foot.
This brings such a unique picture to my mind. I can visualize the exaggerated building he is climbing and the ever so careful shot off his foot. It is the beginning of the imaginative shots that fill this book.
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