Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big

As an elementary school librarian, I love this book for several reasons. 1) The sports theme - There seem to be so many princess and girlie picture books coming out lately that I'm always thrilled to find books with more of a boy appeal. 2) The inspiration - This book is very inspiring with it's message of overcoming obstacles and working to make your dreams come true--even more so since this is a true story. 3) The illustrations - They are colorful and just packed with action-they really bring the story to life. I recommend this title for your school library as well.

The publisher says this book is written for young readers, but because of the book's message, I intend reading this to my youngest grandson as he learns to read. Long Shot has a subtitle "never too small to dream big". It tells the story of a young boy who is short for his age. The boy, Chris, loves basketball and wants to play for his school team. Almost everyone, except his family, tells him to forget this dream because he is too short. Chris refuses to give up his dream and works very hard to improve his skills. He fights for his dream. Long Shot delivers a message that I want my grandchildren to hear - don't give up your dreams, instead work hard for them. I believe that all of our young people need to hear this. Because it is a true story, Long Shot has high credibility. People discouraged the author, Chris Paul, due to his short stature. Now Chris plays professional basketball with the New Orleans Hornets. I highly recommend this book for anyone with young children.

This is a really nice book of encouragement. This book is about Chris Paul, who is now a professional basketball player. He was teased as a young boy when he wanted to try out for basketball all the boys teased him about being short. Chris's family and and grandfather always encouraged him to just do his best, and that if he tried his best he would succeed. With that in mind he made his school team, and then went on to play with the pros. This is really a great book for kids, especially ones that need encouragement like Chris Paul, very nicely written, and is brightly illustrated. This book is recommended for children 4-8 by the author. Thanks for this wonderful book!

This book is just great. It's the story of a young boy who is too small, supposedly, to play basketball. With the advice of his family, however, he takes on the tryouts for a new team and well, even though he's small, he wins a spot on the team. It's just a very cute story, one all boys, and girls will love. Sure is loved in this house! Highly recommend!

As enjoyable as children's fiction is, children need true accounts that teach them that obstacles can be overcome and hard work pays off. This book does just that. NBA success Chris Paul shares in terms that any child can understand how determination, hard work, and the support of family helped him persevere and make the grade school basketball team even though he was only 4'1". This attractive, sturdy book has wonderful illustrations that depict children of all ethnicities. The story is exciting, suspenseful (Will he make the team?), and one that any child can identify with in some way, but particularly boys who love basketball--especially short ones! I hope this book will find its way into many elementary classrooms. It's a gem.