High Flying Martial Arts. (Sports Starters). John Crossingham. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (rlb.). ISBN 978-0-7787-3172-6 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3140-5 (rlb.). Subject Heading: Martial arts-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-4 / Ages 8-9. Review by Gail Hamilton. **½ /4
	Pass It Lacrosse. (Sports Starters). John Crossingham. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (rlb.). ISBN 978-0-7787-3173-3 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3141-2 (rlb.). Subject Heading: Lacrosse-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-4 / Ages 8-9. Review by Gail Hamilton. **½ /4
	Slap Shot Hockey. (Sports Starters). John Crossingham. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (rlb.). ISBN 978-0-7787-3174-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3142-9 (rlb.). Subject Heading: Hockey-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-4 / Ages 8-9. Review by Gail Hamilton. **½ /4
	Spike It Volleyball. (Sports Starters). John Crossingham. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.95 (pbk.), $20.76 (rlb.). ISBN 978-0-7787-3175-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3143-6 (rlb.). Subject Heading: Volleyball-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-4 / Ages 8-9. Review by Gail Hamilton. **½ /4

excerpt:

Students of martial arts are well prepared before they ever throw a punch or a kick. Students first learn to have a relaxed and patient mind. Angry or hurried students can easily make many mistakes, so instructors teach their students to be calm and focused at all times. One way instructors help students train their minds is through meditation. While meditating, students sit quietly for a period of time, focusing their minds and relaxing their bodies. Students may also softly chant. (From High Flying Martial Arts.)

Part of the eight-volume "Sports Starters" series, these books are designed to introduce youngsters to a variety of sports that are popular in North America. With 14 chapters each, the books explain the origin of the featured sport and provide information about the basics- the object of the game/sport, venues, rules, scoring, equipment, and the specific skills required in order to play. The last chapter gives tips on how to get started and where to find a team, school or club, although the tips are just common sense and not very helpful. Text is large, with usually just one paragraph per page. Colourful photographs and diagrams, all suitably labeled, provide additional information. Both males and females are shown participating in the sports, although there are very few women shown in the title about hockey. A table of contents, a glossary and an index are included.

     High Flying Martial Arts highlights the origins and the various styles of the martial arts- karate, kung fu, tai chi, jujitsu, aikido, taekwondo, judo and kendo. Other topics in this title include uniforms and belt colours, schools and instructors, moves such as stances, punches, strikes, kicks, blocking, throws and takedowns, and a very brief section on competition.

      Pass It Lacrosse can be quite confusing to a young reader just learning about this sport, for there are three main types of lacrosse, each with a different venue, number of players, and length of game period. Men's field lacrosse, for example, is played outdoors with 10 players per team and has four 15-minute quarters, while women's field lacrosse has 12 players and two 30-minute halves; box lacrosse is played indoors on a concrete surface or artificial turf. Six team members play three 20-minute periods. For each of the types of lacrosse, there are diagrams of the playing field with the players in position, but they only add to the confusion. This game, like most, is best learned by actual playing rather than reading about it. Topics featured in this title are skills, such as cradling the ball, passing and shooting; positions, officials, fouls and penalties. There is also some information about the two North American professional leagues and a college level league.

      Slap Shot Hockey describes the zones on the ice rink, types of shots, positions, rules, officials, goalie equipment, power plays and shootouts as well as listing a few of the most common penalties. (Perhaps there could have been a diagram showing more of the penalty signals made by referees and linesmen as this area of the book was rather weak.) Also included is information about the NHL and other hockey leagues and brief mention of five young hockey stars of today. Photographs show players at the junior, NHL and university levels.

      Spike It Volleyball provides information about game basics as well as score keeping, the parts of a volleyball court and moves such as the bump, volley, spike, dig, serve and block. There is a section about official and penalties in which four hand signals are shown, but none is explained. Beach volleyball, relatively new to competition, is also mentioned.

      Though the series is geared toward young readers who want to learn about a sport, the text is somewhat inconsistent: many sections in the books provide adequate information, but some are sketchy at best, and others are merely "fillers." The books also have a limited audience.

Recommended with reservations.

Gail Hamilton is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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