Celebrate 100 years of the Harlem Globetrotters with this true story of the high-flying team that changed basketball forever. In this book you will find one-finger ball-spinning, rapid-fire mini-dribbling, and a ricochet head shot! You will find skilled athletes, expert players, and electrifying performers—all rolled into one! You will find nonstop, give-it-all-you've-got, out-to-win-it, sky's-the-limit BASKETBALL! You will find The Harlem Globetrotters , who played the most groundbreaking, breathtaking ball the world had ever seen. With rhythmic writing and dynamic illustrations, Swish! is a celebration of the greatness, goodness, and grit of this remarkable team. PreS-Gr 4-With their "fancy footwork, fast passes, and one-handed dunk shots," the Harlem Globetrotters were known for putting on an entertaining show. Their history, however, shows how the Globetrotters played a significant role in the development of professional basketball. The original founders were a group of African American high school basketball players from the South Side of Chicago. The team played their first game in 1927. They traveled around the country playing against hometown or other touring teams, both Black and white. The Great Depression made it hard for the team to earn money until they added ball-handling tricks and theatrical moves to their game. They were accomplished players, but these special elements attracted paying customers. Although they presented a lighthearted presence on the court, the team encountered discrimination in many of the towns they visited and were barred from local hotels and restaurants designated "whites only." When new professional leagues began forming in the late 1940s, Black players initially were not recruited, even as the Globetrotters were a hit at Madison Square Garden. In 1950, Harlem Globetrotter Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton was one of the first African American men signed to the NBA. The Globetrotters began to live up to their name, playing exhibition games in many countries and across the United States. Digital illustrations and archival photographs capture the team's energy and sense of fun. The players' quick movements and the constant ball action are expertly represented by Tate's dynamic cartoon-style spreads. VERDICT This well-researched, accessible picture book makes this story bounce off the page.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's Sch., Richmond, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Praise for  Swish! : An Illinois Monarch Award Master List Book A Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee  A South Carolina Book Award Nominee A Bank Street College of Education Best Book A Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts (National Council of Teachers of English) A Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List Book A Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District’s Horned Toad Tale List Book "Tate's dynamic digital pictures capture the players' perseverance as they prove instrumental in integrating pro basketball and score legions of fans, and a comprehensive timeline rounds out the book.... An enthusiastic tribute to a groundbreaking team."― Publishers Weekly "[Author] Slade has done careful, thorough research, easily engaging young readers as they learn about the Globetrotters' groundbreaking history. Veteran illustrator Tate creates constant movement, visually underscoring the title with dynamic (sometimes impossible) perspectives and basketballs caught in stop-motion fashion as they fly across the court.... From beginning to end, fans will feel connected to the dynamic style of the Globetrotters and how they influenced American history."― Kirkus Reviews "Dynamic.... This well-researched, accessible picture book makes this story bounce off the page."― School Library Journal "Peppy.... Tate's illustrations, done digitally in his usual big-hearted-caricature style, are an ideal match for the subject."― The Horn Book 2023 Monarch Award Nominee ― Goodreads Suzanne Slade , a Sibert Honor author, has written more than one hundred children's books, including A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon , Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon , Dangerous Jane , and Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks . She lives with her husband outside Chicago, Illinois, where the magic of the Globetrotters first began. She invites you to visit her online at suzanneslade.com. Don Tate is an award-winning author and illustrator of numerous books for children, including No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas , Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions , Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth , and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton . Don lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and son, and he invites you to visit him online at dontate.com.