Hoops with Swoopes.

Hoops with Swoopes by Susan Kuklin with Sheryl Swoopes Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, May 2001, $15.99 ISBN 0-78680551-X, Ages 4-8

Look out Kobe and Shaq! The stars of women's professional basketball are making fast breaks on the courts as well as in the children's publishing field. As the popularity of women's professional basketball has grown since the formation of the WNBA in 1997; so has the need for books celebrating the skills of female players. As the now-defunct American Basketball League's slogan stated, "Little girls need big girls to look up to." The talents and skills of Sheryl Swoopes are showcased in this work, and she is presented as a worthy role model for young basketball players.

Sheryl Swoopes, a member of the WNBA's Houston Comets, has legitimate claims to stardom. In 1995, Swoopes became the first female athlete to have a Nike shoe named after her, and last year she was named the WNBA's most valuable player. She has teamed with award-winning author and photographer, Susan Kuldin to produce a fun eye-pleasing work for children ages 4 to 8.

The targeted age group for this work may be too young to be familiar with the sport of basketball and its star players, yet the picture-book format may function as a tool to introduce youngsters to the game.

Photographs show Swoopes demonstrating the fundamentals of basketball--dribbling, catching, jumping, and shooting--in full-page and double-page layouts. The vividly colored photographs--placed on bright white pages--seem to intensify her actions and make the reader feel they could be playing Swoopes one-on-one.

The simple, brief text is comprised of basic basketball terms, and the book ends with an inspirational message by Swoopes: The real and most important game is to believe in others and above all, in yourself.

Merce Robinson is a library manager from Shaker Heights, Ohio.