Max the Champion

K-Gr 2—Max eats, sleeps, and even dreams sports and the winners circle, from the morning's first alarm until the night falls. As he races downstairs, inhales a first spoonful of cereal, and speeds off to school for the day's activities, Max thinks of only one thing—SPORTS. His imagination takes him to different competitions—he races, he dives, he never misses a sledding turn. During a tournament with another school, Max throws a ball and joins his classmates onstage to receive trophies. He then zooms out the door to excel in his other competitive venue—his imagination. Highlighted words and change of font emphasize the pen and watercolor, cartoon images of Max's dreams, including a gender and ethnically diverse group of sports contenders and his animal companions. It is only in studying the drawings that one realizes that Max wears a hearing aid, a young athlete uses a wheelchair, and a batter has a leg brace. Highly detailed, this book promotes both the power of the imagination and determination. An addendum notes the book's association with the national UK charity Booktrust and nasen, which embraces "all special and educational needs and disabilities." A general purchase for all libraries.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX