Description
B is for Basketball: An Alphabet Book is an alphabet picture book written by the staff and students of School District 50 Haida Gwaii. The idea for an official book for the 2011 All Native Basketball Tournament was the impetus for the creation of the book. It is meant to celebrate this yearly sports event held in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Basketball has a history among the First Nations in British Columbia. Parents and Elders saw a need for a book about Aboriginal basketball. Each letter of the alphabet has a colour illustration about some aspect of playing and watching basketball. A simple sentence relates key information about the sport for young children. Additional words are introduced on each page. For example, the letter Y presents an illustration of a band council chief cheering on his community's team as he yells, Yes, from the bleachers. Additional words beginning with Y include Yoke, Yam, and Yellow Cedar. The colour paintings by artist Judy Hilgemann capture the joy and sportsmanship of the game as it is embraced by entire communities. The paintings reflect men, women, teen, and young children playing, watching, cheering, and enjoying the action-filled games. The acknowledgement's page lists all the staff, students, and language consultants involved in the book's development. A foreword by Robert Davidson and a history of the tournament is included. Highly recommended.