The biography was written by Michael's mother. The story follows Michael through a brief period of his youth were he had a love of basketball but doubts about his ability and feeling that his lack of height would keep him from playing well. During the text, Michael shows the determination and grit that carried him to being one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

One of my favorite books of all time. This book is about the legendary Micheal Jordan who became the greatest basketball player of all time. The moral of the story is all about hope and believing, (as the story told by him) as a kid he wasn't very big and couldn't play basketball well with his older brothers. Therefore his mother would put salt in his shoes every night saying how it would help him grow taller and stronger and be able to play basketball with his brothers and friends then. I connect to this book a little bit to never stop believing and do what you love. I would recommend this to any young athlete. A biography about the young legend himself.

Biography:

I really enjoyed reading the biography, Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream. I think that this text would be engaging for students and inspirational as they are also facing some of the same issues that Michael Jordan is described to face. I would use this book in grades 3-5. This biography discusses the internal and external struggles that Michael Jordan faced as a young boy who dreamed to become a tall basketball player.

As a future educator, I can see this book having the potential to be used in the classroom in many ways. I think that this book would tie in really well with some of the character traits often discussed in elementary schools. The book focusses on perseverance, had work, and following your dreams which are all important lessons to be taught to our students! I believe that while students grade 3-5 could most likely read this book independently, it would be a really great tool to use as a read aloud. Having students reflect on their own similar experiences or other people they know who may have faced some challenges and pushed through their issues would relate the story to the lived or related experiences of students.

This book was a WOW book for me because it told the story of Michael Jordan, an athlete who many students know and love, realistically. I think that the students can truly relate to the text. I also love that it was written by Michael Jordan’s mother and sister.

Genre: Biography
One unique feature of this book is that the author is actually Michael Jordan's mother. She writes this book from a personal perspective highlighting young Michael's desire to become a superstar and the obstacles he had to overcome to get there. It's an inspiring story a lot of young kids would enjoy and relate to.
Recommended for grades 2-5

My students absolutely loved this book. I read it aloud as my students hung on every word. The story was very relatable to my students both boys and girls. They all wanted to tell me a story about "When I...". One of my students piped up to say "Oh, Mrs. Daughtry Michael is a "round" character. Remember when we talked about how characters change?", then she proceeded to tell me how Michael changed in the story. As a teacher this was a very proud moment for me. My students really are listening! I loved the fact that Deloris Jordan (the author) explicitly stated how months passed for Michael and still no changes in his height occured. Often in books the misconception is that things happen over night for the characters. We were also able to have a rich discussion about the difference between bullying and just being unkind as one of the characters teased Michael about his height. This story would also be a great introduction about the concept of perseverance and the importance of putting in the practice time.

Genre: Biography/Non-Fiction-Informational
Grade: Level: Primary/Middle Grades (2-6)

He's a 6'6" giant thanks to Salt and Prayer! A wonderful story written by Michael Jordan's mom, Deloris and his sister, Roslyn. It is all about determination and belief! You can become whatever you want to be if you work hard enough and think positive. Michael didn't know how the salt his mom put in his shoes was going to help him grow but he believed his mom. He didn't know how he was going to beat those other basketball players who were much taller than he was, but he believed his dad. When it came time to shoot the ball, he believed in himself! All children want to be in the NBA, but it takes Heart, Belief and Determination, just like Michael's dad told him!

Excellent read on patience and determination. Children ages 5-10 would love this story. Its a story of a young child loving the game of basketball. He was always afraid that he was too short to make the teams. Well he never gave up on his dreams of playing basketball. Today Michael Jordan is one of the most famous basketball players of all time. I would add this book to my classroom library because it shows how family working together can help make a childs dream come true. I like this book because its a true inspirational story.

This book meant alot to me as a kid. Even till now I am still inspired about being tall and being one of the best basketball players in the game. Being tall, wanting to play with the big kids and not having patience is something black boys suffer from but experience in their childhood everyday. But what grandma always told me with a little prayer things can happen in many ways and different times.

This story highlights the famous Michael Jordan through his childhood basketball days. Jordan was always the smallest when he tried to play with his brothers, and always got teased about it. Desperate to grow, he asked his mom what to do. She said to put salt in his shoes and to have patience and faith. For the next few months, Jordan prayed and practiced faithfully. He did get discouraged, but in the end he ends up back at the park and shoots the winning shot.

This book is a great way to show anyone what hard work and dedication can get you. Michael was short when growing up, got cut from his high school team, and somehow is one of the greatest basketball players to ever live.

Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, by Deloris and Roslyn Jordan, is a biography about Michael Jordan written by his mom and one of his sisters. The book explores Michael’s doubts in himself that he may never grow taller or get better at basketball. Through the support of his family, he realizes the importance of perseverance, patience, practice, trust, faith, determination, and hard work. This book does a wonderful job illustrating the various emotions associated with feeling like you’re not good enough. Salt in His Shoes not only illustrates Michael’s emotions, but also gives a look into the perspectives of his mom, dad, and brothers. I would use this book in the 3rd grade, connecting to a variety of standards, including RL.3.3: “Identify the feeling of characters in a story.”

After reading Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, I would love to have my students brainstorm different people in their lives that they could write about. I think it would be great to involve families, asking them to share stories about the chosen people, then have my students create written biographies about the special person in their life. I would like to end the activity by compiling them together and making copies to send home for families to enjoy. This activity would connect to many standards, including RF.3.2: “Uses letters to create written documents” and W.3.2: “Write to share information by selecting a topic and writing about it, including one or more facts or details,” as students would construct these handwritten biographies to share information about their special person’s life. I believe this would be an amazing activity because it gives students an example of a biography and engages them in writing their own (and reading each other’s)! I would likely introduce other WOW biographies to my students if they would like more inspiration. Another way I would use Salt in His Shoes in my future classroom would be to explore emotions. I would use this book to introduce the idea that we have a wide range of emotions and that our emotions affect the people around us. This book would help focus students on the variety of emotions with the disappointment Michael felt when losing games, the confidence he felt when winning games, the wonder of whether or not he will ever grow taller, and more. This book would introduce the effect that our emotions can have on other people because students would be encouraged to think more about the perspectives of Michael’s mom, dad, and brothers.

tSalt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream is a WOW book to me because it shows how a small idea, such as that of putting salt in your shoes to grow taller, can represent much more. When Michael’s mom told him that putting salt in his shoes would make him grow taller, she knew that all he needed was a little faith in himself and determination. The illustrations in the book are also wonderful and provide a unique look with the different angles they portray. For example, we are across the street from Michael and his two brothers, we look between Michael’s parents to see him sitting on the steps feeling defeated, and we look up into the team huddle on the basketball court. This book is a great read for anyone who has experienced self doubt, as it will inspire them to face their fears!

This story was good and it had a great message as well. Michael didn't give up on his dream of playing basketball because he was shorter than the other boys he played with. His mom sprinkled salt into his shoes because that's how he could grow. This would be a great read for students.

The Book Is inspirational because Michael Jordan Is One Of My Favorite Players Of All Time And Reading A Story About Him which Is So Relative To My Life Just Makes Me Feel Like I Wanna Do Better And Follow My Dreams Even More.