Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball

Winner of the 2021 Orbis Pictus Award!
"A new generation of fans will be introduced to the legendary basketball player Elgin Baylor. . . . A timely read about an NBA player who spoke out against Jim Crow injustice." --Kirkus Reviews
"Inspirational and timely." --School Library Journal

Before there was Michael Jordan or LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo, there was Elgin Baylor, shooting, passing, and soaring through the air like no basketball player before him. Here is the story of the basketball icon and African American civil rights advocate, told with beautiful artwork and poetic text:

"In one smooth move,
like a plane taking off,
he would leap . . .
higher and higher
and higher--
as if pulled by some invisible wire,
and just when it seemed
he'd have to come down,
no!"

Hall-of-famer Baylor was one of basketball's greatest players--an innovative athlete, team player, and quiet force for change. One of the first professional African American players, he inspired others on and off the court. But when traveling for away games, many hotels and restaurants turned Elgin away because he was Black.

One night, Elgin had enough and staged a one-man protest that captured the attention of the press, the public, and the NBA. With lyrical, moving text from an award-winning author and exquisite, slam-dunk illustrations from an award-winning artist, Above the Rim is a peek into the early days of the NBA, a poetic telling of the life of an underrecognized African American athlete, and a celebration of standing up for what's right.


Author: Jen Bryant
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 10/06/2020
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 10.80h x 9.00w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781419741081
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 510069 / Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/14/2020
Booklist 09/01/2020 pg. 86
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2020
School Library Journal 10/01/2020 pg. 91
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2020
Shelf Awareness 10/30/2020
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2020 pg. 122
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2020 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Jen Bryant writes picture books, novels, and poems for readers of all ages. Her numerous awards include two Caldecott Honors, two ALA Schneider Family Book Awards, an NCTE Orbis Pictus Award and Honor, and a Sibert Medal and Honor. Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including two Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books, a John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, an NAACP Image Award winner, and a Society of Illustrators Silver Medal winner.