The Legend of Gravity

By Charly Palmer

Informational Resources:

Author and Illustrator Information: 

Macmillan’s Author Highlight:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374313289/thelegendofgravity

Activities & Resources:

Streetball

What is streetball (2:32):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=qaZIPRSgLkY&ab_channel=ProfessorLive 

ISO (Best Street Basketball Player in Asia) (2:34):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=ElKuj6faMb0&t=25s&ab_channel=INTHELAB

Streetball vs Organized Basketball

Explanation

https://www.utahcourtsurfacing.com/differences-between-streetball-and-basketball/#:~:text=Streetball%20is%20much%20more%20flashy,having%20a%20more%20organized%20structure.

Streetball Moves:

Black Magic Streetball Move Tutorial (00:59):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=DV3DEDwVrPg&ab_channel=GetHandlesBasketball

Basketball Brain Breaks

Space Jam Basketball Brain Break (3:41):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1QdS-fH04I&ab_channel=CoachCoreyMartin

Basketball - Would You Rather (8:04):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j3flFKTso0&ab_channel=P.E.withMr.G

Science

In Texas: Trick Shot Basketball (2:33):

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=ijeR-JhB3rQ&ab_channel=HarlemGlobetrotters

Basketball Trick Shot from Goodyear Blimp: (2:30)

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=kQt4i54d6Kk&ab_channel=Goodyear

Baking (if your students haven’t seen decorating before-they will love it)

Basketball Shoe: (00:30)

https://www.yout-ube.com/shorts/wfeGNo6sD8A

Decorating a Basketball: (3:58)

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=nQ4lgc39jro&ab_channel=LaP%C3%A2tisserie

Pick your classroom streetball name

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I8a2tmWxiTacVmCLEKlQfXdOwyJtLXh4/view?usp=sharing

MakerSpace Activities:

STEM Activity:

Score these basketball science activities:

https://wardsworld.wardsci.com/stem-makerspace/march-madness

Basketball Stem

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KoGNoFGrPLUOoK0JvNwolb-xNRON7Jwg/view?usp=share_link

Basketball Science

https://sciencemadefun.net/blog/the-science-of-basketball/

March Madness Basketball Shooter STEM activity:

https://carlyandadam.com/thecarlyandadam/2017/3/4/march-madness-stem-activities?format=amp

Can you really float in a slam dunk?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vVynD6VC1i3Cxrghp9mhLuET2r4fRPyM/view?usp=sharing

Why Does Pumping Up a Basketball Make it Bouncier

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MfVEDUVsEYNLNx9VfwgMNw99btu761v8/view?usp=sharing

Discussion Questions:

What is a tall tale?

How would you describe gravity?

How would you describe streetball?

What would your playground name be? What are you good at that would help your friends or neighbors name you?

How did they exaggerate in the book?

What do you think “audacious interruption” means?

Where is Milwaukee located in the United States?

What are some basketball “moves” they did in the story?

What did Gravity mean by “I can’t win this game… but WE can”?

State an example of when you had to work as a team. How would it have been had you worked alone?

What does it mean to be “The Best of the Best” in the story?

How would you describe the narrator? What was their street name?

What were some of the exaggerations that made this story a tall tale?

What tall tales have you read and what were your favorite exaggerations?

Streetball is not as strict as organized basketball. What are some trick shots they did in the book?

Why do you think there are planets in some of the illustrated pages in the story?

Many teams put their hands together and say something to motivate themselves in a game. What are some of things you heard some teams say when they do that?

How do you think the illustrations were created in the book?

When the players would go to different basketball courts they would walk, ride their bike or take a bus. How do you get to basketball courts today? How is that different?

If you or someone you know has played basketball, what was your team name? How did you come up with it?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader’s theater for The Legend of Gravity.

Watch the book trailer on the Texas Bluebonnet Award YouTube channel.

Watch the author's interview on the Texas Bluebonnet Award YouTube channel.

Read Alikes: 

Basketball Practice 

Peoples-Riley, Daria. I got next. A young basketball player practices on the playground, preparing for an upcoming pickup game while his shadow urges him to play hard and leave his heart on the court. As the boy dribbles and weaves, shoots and scores, his shadow gives him the encouragement he needs to overcome pregame jitters and join the competition. (NoveList)

Basketball

Slade, Susan. Swish!: the slam-dunking, alley-ooping, high-flying Harlem Globetrotters. 

Presents the history of the Harlem Globetrotters, from their inception as a Chicago basketball team and their development into the Globetrotters to their growth into an international phenomenon. (NoveList)

Basketball Players

Bowen, Fred. Hardcourt: stories from 75 years of the National Basketball Association. The story of the National Basketball Association from its origins through the major events and players who made basketball what it is today. (NoveList)

Kjartansson, Kjartan Atli. Stars of the NBA. Illustrated profiles of some twenty-eight of the greatest players in the NBA. (NoveList Plus)

Math 

Buckley, James. It's a numbers game: basketball. Math information for kids while learning about basketball. (NoveList)

Reviews: 

Palmer, Charly. The Legend of Gravity : A Tall Basketball Tale

Macmillan Publishers/Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2022.

Booklist

The Legend of Gravity : a Tall Basketball Tale

By Charly Palmer. Illus. by the author

Jan. 2022. 40p. Farrar, $18.99 (9780374313289) Grades 1-3. 

REVIEW: First Published December 15, 2021 (Vol. 118, No. 8) (Booklist).

Palmer, recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Illustrator Award for New Talent, spins twin tributes to teamwork and to the unrecognized playground greats of his Milwaukee youth with this soaring tale of a b-ball squad’s ride to glory behind their newest member—nicknamed “Gravity” because he jumped so high that everyone on the “Eagles” could go for ice cream before he came down. Possessing more than jaw-dropping ball skills, he’s wise enough to know when it’s time for a pep talk. “I can’t win this game,” he tells the team. “But WE can.” Following initial introductions, the figures often lose distinctive features in the impressionistic illustrations, but the players wear identifying jerseys with the numbers of NBA giants, and the loose, vigorous brushwork captures plenty of speed and vertical motion in the action scenes. The tale is likewise delivered by the Eagles’ one girl player with proper fast-break pacing. A high-stepping solo debut, with hardly any exaggeration. —John Peters 

Used with the permission of Booklist  https://www.booklistonline.com/

School Library Journal Xpress (April 8, 2022) 

K-Gr 4-A tall tale straight from the neighborhood basketball court. With elongated figures that show emotion and action without being overly literal, the art joins with the story to capture a summer of basketball and an enigmatic hero. "Gravity," as his teammates soon name him, arrives on the neighborhood court one day and quickly finds a dominant place on the team with his impressive basketball skills. The team comes to rely on him and his prowess as they make their way to the neighborhood championship. In the end, Gravity cannot do it all on his own but teaches his friends the valuable lesson of the importance of teamwork. This highly inspiring tale has a great deal of heart and will appeal to readers who enjoy basketball and characters who inspire. The art is expressive and sophisticated; combined with the story, this makes for an outstanding addition to the canon of tall tales. VERDICT A brand new tall tale that will encourage readers to invent or locate heroes of their own. Include this immensely engaging tribute to the power of being part of a team into any sports book collection.-John Scott © Copyright 2022. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal ©2022

Additional Reviews Available

• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 12/01/21

• Horn Book Magazine starred, 01/01/22

• Kirkus Reviews, 12/01/21