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Clack, Clack! Smack!A Cherokee Stickball StoryBy: Traci Sorell/ Illustrated by: Joseph ErbVann, a struggling stickball player, competes in a game on the Cherokee Nation. Can he help his team win? Written by award-winning Cherokee author Traci Sorell.Vann l
By: Traci Sorell/ Illustrated by: Joseph Erb
Vann loves his tribes traditional sport of stickball, but hes not as skilled as his teammates. Vann stumbles, and he tries and fails to score. How can he help his teammates win the game?
Exciting and fast-paced, Clack, Clack! Smack! reminds readers that sportsmanship and being a team player is just as important as being the star. Back matter explains the Cherokee game of stickball, still played today.
Tune into this conversation with Traci Sorell and Joseph Erb on “The Children’s Book Podcast” with Matthew Winner:
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Traci Sorell, author
Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction for children featuring contemporary characters and compelling biographies. She is the author of Powwow Day, We Are Still Here!, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, and coauthor of Mascot. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.
Read more aboutTraci Sorell.
Joseph Erb, illustrator
Joseph Erb is a computer animator, film producer, educator, language technologist and artist enrolled in the Cherokee Nation. He earned his MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Erb created the first Cherokee animation in the Cherokee language, The Beginning They Told. He has spent many years working on projects that will expand the use of Cherokee language in technology and the arts. He teaches at the University of California Santa Cruz. He has spent his life in the continued dedication to continue Indigenous stories and language.
Read more aboutJoseph Erb.
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Two Cherokee teams play a game of stickball in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Vann feels insecure about having missed a key shot in last weeks match. Stickball requires speed, after all, and his towering body wont cooperate. As Vann and his team, the Eagles, take to the field against the Redhawks, they zip, chase, and rush for the ball, their wooden sticks clashing with a CLACK, CLACK! Coach gives the team a pep talk in Tsalagi, the Cherokee language. He reminds them of gadugi, the importance of working together. As the players return to the field to finish the game, Vanns best friend, Jesse, gives him an encouraging smile. The game is now tied. Can Vann and his team win? Sorell and Erb, both members of the Cherokee Nation, deliver an uplifting story of team spirit and collaboration; the emphasis is on group triumphs rather than individual victories. Writing in terse, alliterative prosea tackle, a twist, and a wrong turnSorell skillfully builds tension as she choreographs this action-packed game. Erbs thick-lined cartoon illustrations have a pleasing solidity; they capture the chaos and drama of the game and depict players with a range of brown skin tones. The story features frequent Tsalagi words and phrases. Backmatter stresses the importance of keeping the Cherokee language alive and explains the significance of stickball, which traditionally was used to settle conflicts. Stand and cheer for this fast-paced tale of sportsmanship and community.
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Teamwork makes the dream work in this stickball-centered picture book from Cherokee creators Sorell and Erb. Haunted by missing the final shot in the previous game, Cherokee player Vann also worries about his speed: His towering body isnt fast. Smaller teammateslike Vanns best friend, Jessezip across the field. In English and Tsalagi, the game progresses as the coach encourages the team to work togethergadugian important Cherokee value. Onomatopoeic text relays the CLACK CLACK of play while subtly outlining the sport, and bold-lined digital illustrations capture the fast-moving match alongside the ample community watching from the sidelines, making for a work that supplies a strong sense of camaraderie and competitionand allows for values to win the day. A Tsalagi glossary and notes about stickball and language conclude.
School Library Journal
Sorells high-energy and uplifting story proves that team spirit can make true success. Vann doubts his abilities and contributions to the teams success as the stick game progresses. Ultimately, Vann recognizes that despite the differences among them, they all can contribute an important role, which starts with trusting in himself. Emerging readers can relate to Vann and this doubt that comes from being a part of a team and not wanting to let them down. The illustrations successfully portray the high emotions that come with an intense game. With the inclusion of Tsalagi (Cherokee) vocabulary, the surrounding context still allows non-Cherokee readers to grasp the meaning of the words in real time. There is also an included glossary of words that were in the story, including the Tsalagi syllabary, English transliteration, pronunciation, and meaning. VERDICT This fast-paced and exciting reflective story on sportsmanship and overcoming self-doubt provides concise representation into Cherokee cultural activities while keeping the story relatable to many growing readers.
Children’s Literature
In this book written and illustrated by Cherokee Nation tribal members, its the girls against the boys in a fast-paced game of Cherokee stickball. The boys, the Eagles, were ahead, but the girls team, the Redhawks, has tied the score. Can the boys score three more points to win? Athletes from other sports will empathize with Vann, an Eagle, who feels the pressure since he missed the final shot last week and his team lost. His confidence is shaken. Can he score the winning goal today or can he figure out another way to help his team win? Perhaps teamwork, an important Cherokee value, is the winning solution. Striking cartoon illustrations feature players with a range of skin tones and hairstyles, both often silhouetted and highlighted against a white background. Illustrations with varying points of view pull the reader into the game, sometimes as a player on the field, sometimes as part of a mad scramble for the ball, and sometimes in a close-up conversation between Vann and his teammate and friend Jesse. Extensive back matter provides a detailed glossary and pronunciation guide for the Cherokee words in the text and information about the Cherokee Nations efforts to keep the Tsalagi (Cherokee) language alive. In addition, a description of stickball rules and the historical use of the game to settle disputes between villages is illustrated by photos of stickball equipment and actual games in progress.
Hardcover
ISBN:978-1-62354-193-4
Ages: 4-7
Page count: 32
TRIM SIZE 8 x 10
Publication date:August 6, 2024
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