Title: Legend of Gravity by Charly Palmer
Genre: Children's picture book
Targeted Age: Grades 2-3
Plot Summary: A tall tale set in modern times. When a new kid joins their playground basketball team, they agree that his skills seem to defy gravity. And a new playground nickname was born, Gravity. His skills were instantly legendary, he dominated the court, leading his team to the championship. Beautiful illustrations accompany the tale showcasing the movements and plays of basketball. But even legendary players need a team, and that was a lesson that Gravity teaches readers.
Justification for book choice: Legend of Gravity is a 2024 Texas Blue Bonnet nominee. It a modern take on tall tales. This would be great to include in a theme of tall tales that could include older ones such as Paul Bunyan, Calamity Jane and John Henry.
Evaluation:
Illustrations: Charly Palmer pairs his narration and illustration gracefully. His large brushstrokes allow the colorful pictures to be recognizable and almost realistic but exaggerated, just as a good tall tale should be.
Theme: A tall tale is generally retold by a narrator as if it was true. A folk tale told by someone claiming to have possibly encountered the subject or who appears to believe it. In the Legend of Gravity the story is told by the only female player, later nicknamed Butta. The details are exaggerated such as when Gravity's jump was so high and long that they had time to get ice cream before he landed. This story is grounded in a realistic setting - neighborhood basketball teams, but the hero Gravity has skills that are exaggerated beyond what is humanly possibly.
Setting: Palmer based the setting on the street ball that is played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and other places. In his note at the back he wanted to highlight the great players that never went professional but gained notoriety locally for their skills. Based in a realistic setting, the Legend of Gravity used the tradition of nicknames and small local teams to spin a tale of a street ball star.
Citation:
Palmer, C. (2022). Legend of Gravity. Farrar Straus Giroux Books.