Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I’ve taken a step back from blogging this summer because I have a couple of overseas trips plus eye surgery in the coming months. But I do have a number of posts already scheduled for July and August. And when I heard that Cheryl Kim’s new book, WAT TAKES HIS SHOT: The Life and Legacy of Basketball Hero Watara Misaka, had just launched this week, I knew I’d want to share it with all of you. And we are so lucky…the lovely Cheryl stopped by to share a bit of her path to publication and she is offering a giveaway of a signed copy of the book and book swag to ONE LUCKY WINNER.

WAT TAKES HIS SHOT: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BASKETBALL HERO WATARU MISAKA

Written by Cheryl Kim

Illustrated by Nat Iwata

Published by Lee & Low Books

Age: 6-12

Themes: Sports biography, diversity & inclusion, determination

Synopsis: From Amazon:
The stirring biography of Japanese American basketball star Wataru Misaka–the first person of color to play in the NBA!

As a kid, Wataru Misaka channeled his endless energy into playing sports. Every Sunday, he raced to the park where his Japanese American community came together to play basketball. Wat wasn’t the tallest on the team, but he was fast and loved the game! Encouraged by his father to always do his best, Wat applied this mentality to every aspect and challenge in his life.

Wat was a college student when the US government forced more than 122,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast into incarceration camps during WWII. He overcame racism and segregation to join his college’s basketball team but despite Wat’s impressive skills, he was treated as an outsider because he was Japanese American. Wat kept his eye on the ball, and his team-player mentality made him shine on and off the court. He became an inspiration to his Japanese American community. After helping Utah University’s basketball team win the national championship in 1947, Wat was drafted by the New York Knicks, making him the first person of color to play in the NBA.

Wat’s motivational story of rising to any challenge and bringing your best to everything you do is a reminder of the power we each have to inspire others–if we just take our shot!

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love books that tell stories of real people who overcame great odds to succeed – and that hard work, determination, and never giving up are three elements necessary for success!
2. I love books that open a page of history to truthfully tell what happened – so that we can hopefully learn from history and do better and not make those same mistakes!
3. I love books with strong text, great page turns, and bold art!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Take a look at these cool basketball crafts: https://www.redtedart.com/basketball-crafts-for-kids/

ME: And now let’s welcome Cheryl to Picture Books Help Kids Soar!

CHERYL: Thank you so much, Vivian. It’s a pleasure to be here.
A challenging moment on the path to publication:
My agent and I went out on submission with high hopes and over the course of a year, the rejections starting rolling in. We received one revise and resubmit and several no’s for various reasons. 

I spent the next year and a half going through more rounds of revision before resubmitting again. Putting so much time into a project without knowing the outcome is hard! But ultimately, I’m thankful for all the feedback which helped make the manuscript stronger and for the eventual “yes” that came along! 

Here’s a little bit about Cheryl and how to find out more about her books:
Cheryl is a second grade teacher from California.  She and her family have lived in Thailand for the past 9 years. Her husband works with an anti-trafficking organization and she teaches at Grace International School. She is also a writer for Kane Press’ Sports Illustrated Stars of Sports series and Eureka! The Biography of an Idea series. Two things she loves: Spending time with family & friends and drinking all kinds of tea from boba to chai lattes. 

Website:https://cherylkimbooks.com/
Instagram/X/Threads: @cheryltkim

And please remember, dear friends, we can help new books succeed if we:
Buy them
Review them
Place them on our Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about them (please share this post on your social media)
Ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I’ll be packing for my trip…I’m flying to Vienna with my son on Monday…and will be gone till July 11 – and I am NOT taking my computer…but I’ll have my phone so I’ll be able to check emails and messages.
And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to WIN a signed copy of WAT TAKES HIS SHOT and book swag.