I listened to this book with my granddaughters. One of my grands was assigned this book along with some other assignments concerning Michael Jordan. We all enjoyed the book! We also listened to "Oh the Places You'll Go" today...it was a day of books about pursuing your dreams!

This is my favorite book I've ever read. I read it every once in a while to remind myself of my days as a youngin. It is awesome just seeing how my childhood hero started out. This book will be in my classroom for sure and I will have a copy at home forever.

Salt in His Shoes

I chose this book because it was one of my favorite books as a child. I loved this book. It really inspired me and encouraged me to practice hard at whatever I do. I think this teaches great lessons to children.

Salt in His Shoes-Biography- 3rd grade

Salt in His Shoes is a biography about Michael Jordan written by his mother, Deloris, and sister, Roslyn. This heartwarming and inspirational story tells us about a time when Michael was younger and he was much smaller than all the other basketball players. Some of the kids would pick on Michael for being so short. One day after a game, Michael came home and asked his mother how he could grow taller. His mother thought for a second and responded by saying Michael had to put salt in his shoes and say his prayers before bed. Confused, Michael thought about what his mother had said and began to get excited about how tall he would get. Months went by and Michael didn't grow any taller. Instead of going to the games he wanted to practice. Michael began to get discouraged, so his father sat down to talk to him. He told Michael that it didn't matter how tall Michael was, if he wanted to be good he needed to work hard and have determination. Michael rushed to his game and ended up hitting the game-winning shot. The invaluable lesson his parents taught him from a young age about hard work payed off. As we know, Michael Jordan went on to become the greatest basketball player in history.

This is such an inspiring book, especially for elementary aged students. It tells the true story of what happens when you have patience and work hard toward a dream. I would read this book aloud in a third or fourth grade classroom. Before reading this story, I would write some important words from the story on the board such as: determined, patience, confident, believing, disappointed. After reading the story I would go back and discuss what these words mean and how they were used in the story. As a follow up activity, I would have the students write a short story about something they wish to accomplish, followed by a list of things they need to do in order to reach their goal. After going through the writing process, I would have the students illustrate their work and share their stories with the class. I would encourage them to include some of the vocabulary words mentioned at the beginning of the lesson. This is a great lesson to teach children that their dreams can come true with patience and hard work.

This is such a great book that can inspire anyone to chase after their dreams. I would definitely recommend this book!

Summary:
Michael loves playing basketball, but he is not as tall or as good as the older boys that he plays with. One boy even teases him because he is so short. Michael asks his mom how he can be taller so he can be a good basketball player like the other boys. His mom tells him he needs to put salt in his shoes, and he will grow tall. So every night before bed, Michael's mom filled his shoes with salt. Michael was patient, practiced and prayed. He never gave up. After many months of this, Michael finally grew, and won a basketball game with his brothers! Michael grew up to be one of the best basketball player, and grew to be 6'6.

Evaluation:
This book is very inspiring and would be a good story for all kids to hear. Kids who are struggling with not being the best at something, or who feel defeated, could relate to the main character in this book.
When they realize that the boy who wasn't tall enough and wasn't picked on to play basketball, grew up to be Michael Jordan, they will be very inspired.

Teaching Idea:
This would be a good story to teach kids that they should never give up. It would make a good read aloud, and keep students very engaged while discussing some of the more difficult vocabulary and the theme of the story.

Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan is a fictional story about Michael Jordan wanting to be tall when he was a child. He would play basketball with his older brothers and his neighborhood friends but they were so much taller than him. He felt like he had to be tall to be good. He thought putting salt in his shoes would make him get taller but it didn't. However dedicating time to practice, being patient and working hard made him a lot better when he played the other boys again. I think this book had a good underlying message and black boys who love basketball will love this book. The language is so pure and flows great. The Illustrations done by Kadir Nelson is also very very detailed. Catches the eye really nicely and keeps me interested.

This biography intended is for ages 5 and up. It is about the childhood of Michael Jordan and his insecurities before becoming a famous basketball player. The book is told in third-person which allows young readers to easily comprehend the messages of winning and losing, patience and determination, and family support. Thus informing young readers of many themes throughout. Children will be able to relate to Michael’s feelings of defeat, comfort in family, and love of basketball. The author made sure that even young reader's do not have to like sports to understand the meaning behind Michael's story. Everything can be related to personal experiences which is the beauty of this biography. Review Date: 8/13

One of my all time favorite books! This is a great inspirational read for any one - even if they were not raised with insight into the celebrity that was Michael Jordan to us 90s babies. I also love the artist - Kadir Nelson and think this is a fantastic ensemble book.

Colorful illustrations. This story is about Michael Jordan as a child. Michael feels down he thinks he is letting everyone down because he’s too short. He learns that hard work, determination, and perseverance are really what matters. Ages 5-12. Text set: basketball, sports, following your dreams, perseverance.

This book was a great read aloud to my student. This book makes students realize that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. This is a true story of working hard and getting great results. I would recommend this book to 2nd-5th grade.

The book is written by his mother, Deloris Jordan. Michael was an ordinary African-American boy growing, and had the dream of playing professional basketball one day. Mike was small, and often had trouble playing with taller kids. However, one thing that Mike could control no matter what was how hard he tried, and his work ethic. In this book I would show kids how hard work does pay off! This may make your students work a little harder by showing this example of Michael Jordan and where he is now. I feel like this would be a great example for any ages but I feel like reading it kids 3rd-6th would probably be the best age group for this book.

Used for Final

Michael is a young boy who loves to play basketball, but being the shortest player makes things harder for him. After losing another game, he goes home and asks his mom what he can do to grow taller and her answer is to put salt in his shoes and pray. Michael does both and waits patiently, but after two months have gone by and he has not grown an inch, he begins to get even more upset. He stops playing basketball until his dad reminds him that it does not matter how tall he is, he was always a great basketball player because it was in his heart. This inspires Michael to run back to the courts where he helps his team win their game.

This was a very cute a quick read that inspires readers to follow their heart. It tells of the importance of family and trusting them. It would be a good book for students interested in sports or those who may feel a little down about something.