by Stacy Wells
Illustrated by Jesus Aburto
3 stars
Nice story overall. Tobias loves hoop dancing, but is self-conscious about what his peers will think. Will he face his fears and showcase his skills at the talent show?
A nice way to learn about some of the basics of hoop dancing. Tobias must deal with bullies at school, his mom’s busy work schedule, and his friend sharing his secrets. The story was fairly simple but well-written.
There are themes of bullying, self-confidence, communication, forgiveness, and sharing aspects of your culture with others. The black-and-white illustrations were clean and detailed. They helped break up the text and nicely depicted events in the story, which may be especially helpful for those unfamiliar with hoop formations. Overall, it was a nice read.
I was especially excited to read this book as it’s pretty hard to find fiction books featuring hoop dancing.
On a side note, I appreciated that this story was written by a member of the Choctaw Nation, but was disappointed to see that Jake Maddox was the only name on the front cover. This is the first book of the Jake Maddox Sports Stories that I’ve read, but it’s pretty unclear what part he had in its creation as the text is attributed to Stacy Wells and the illustrations to Jesus Aburto. The omission of the work of Indigenous and people of color on the front cover was especially irritating. Would love to see future books showcase the writers and illustrators involved more clearly.
The book includes a glossary of terms at the end as well as a bit more about hoop dancing, discussion questions, and writing prompts.
Nice way to spark an interest in hoop dancing and other aspects of Indigenous cultures, specifically the Choctaw Nation. The series seems good for learning about different sports, especially underrepresented ones.