The Man Who Invented the Game of Basketball.

Wyckoff, Edwin Brit.  The Man Who Invented the Game of Basketball.  Enslow  2014    48p   $15.95  ISBN 978-7660-4142-4  elem      series: Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas  Biography  VG-BN

This book covers the life of James Naismith and his invention of the game of basketball.  Sports books are always popular with reluctant readers and this title is no exception.  Approximately half the book is devoted to Naismith’s childhood in Canada and the early influences that led him to become a Presbyterian minister.  His aptitude for athletics and desire to work with young people led him to obtain a job with the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, rather than a career with a church.  It is there that he invented the game of basketball to provide a winter exercise opportunity. The evolution of the game is very briefly covered, but the focus of the book is biographical.  The “You Be the Inventor!” section seems to be an odd addition to a sports book, but this title is part of a series on inventors, not purely sports figures.  A timeline, glossary, index and list of resources for further reading are included.  The series covers notable people in a wide variety of fields. Recommended for beginning and reluctant readers. Grades 3-5.

Summary: The life of James Naismith and his invention of the game of basketball. Grades 3-5.   

Basketball, Sports biography                    -–Stephanie Pennucci