College football may still be off the radar of many elementary schoolers but Stewart, who has written plenty of sports books for children, gives the legendary Michigan Wolverines enough pizazz to be worthy of a young sports fan’s attention. His opening is a quick, enthusiastic overview, with subsequent chapters sketching in bits of history (the team has been around since 1879) into the 2007 season. Stewart also gives a rundown of the team’s achievements and profiles a few of its outstanding players. Abundant, well-captioned photos (a combination of vintage and sharp, full-color recent ones) add punch, and a selection of curious facts (there are no wolverines in Michigan), a time line, a map of Big Ten teams, and, oddly, two glossaries (one for football terms, the other including words like campus and extraordinary) round out the text. A lively entry in the Team Spirit—College Football series, this book will help readers get a foothold in college ball.
Booklist, April 1, 2009
The Team Spirit College Basketball series continues to churn out reliable, informed, and lively team profiles. These three new entries cover teams that are yearly near-locks to make the NCAA Tournament, with looks at each team’s history, current makeup, home arena, uniform, notable wins, standout players and coaches, rivalries, and in a final Team Spirit: page, its defining traditions and attitude. The Kentucky Wildcats profiles one of the very first colleges to forma basketball team, in 1902- first by women, then followed a year later by a men’s team that scraped together $3 for a basketball and went 1-2 on the season. A humble beginning for what would become one of the most successful programs in the sport’s history, racking up more than 40 SEC championships.
Fans will recognize the team the in the North Carolina Tar Heels as a powerhouse in the ultracompetitive ACC, but even casual observers will know this team as the beginning stages of Michael Jordan’s dominance of the sport. The Syracuse Orange looks at the Big East team that boasts an incredible streak of 40 straight seasons with a winning record, almost all of them with head coach Jim Boeheim at the reins. Each book’s ample back matter sports a time line, “Fun Facts, notable stats and records, and a quick rundown of how the college games differ from the NBA. Fine additions to a strong series.
Booklist, April 1, 2011
Young sports fans will welcome this series' offerings covering major basketball, football, and baseball teams. Each book begins with an introduction to the team, some history, and information on the team today. The venue in which the team plays is described with many statistics. The team's uniforms, and the changes these have had over the years, as well as an introduction to the parts of the uniform specific to each sport, are covered. The books give vital statistics on pioneers and super stars of each team. Unfamiliar words related to the sport are typed in bold and explained in either the glossary, or in a separate section of "other words to know." A section of "Fun Facts" offers supplemental information, such as Joe DiMaggio marrying Marilyn Monroe or David Robinson growing nine inches during his time at the Naval Academy. Records are listed, and a list of places to visit, as well as books, Web sites, and a map showing the birthplaces of the players, make these books useful for the browsing fan or the student doing a report on a favorite team. The tone is consistently positive, and controversy related to the team is kept out of the discussions. This series is valuable for the youngest sports fans. Timeline. Index. Recommended.
Library Media Connection, November/December 2006