Tacko Fall

July 1, 2022
NBA player Fall chronicles his journey from childhood in Dakar, Senegal, to success as a professional athlete in the United States. At 7 feet, 6 inches tall, Fall is one of the tallest people in the world. As a child, he loved sports and would often play soccer barefoot in the sand. He discovered basketball when he watched a game on TV with his grandmother one day, and when he saw Dwight Howard dunk, he thought the athlete was a real superhero. Fall started practicing basketball with a friend and was discovered by a coaching group, but training was difficult. On a particularly moving spread, young Tacko is shown exhausted from running up and down the court and struggling to lift a bar without weights. With practice, however, he improved, and his path to the NBA continued when he left his mother and brother to attend high school in the United States. Fall details his adjustment to his new life, the challenges he encountered, and his efforts, describing how he attended college and covering career highlights. The first-person narration is relatable and engaging, and the honesty with which Fall expresses the emotional points of his journey is refreshing and touching. Brown's illustrations represent Fall's comparative height without caricature, and the variety of scenes and vignettes with animation-style pictures gives the feeling of a humorous graphic novel, in the best way. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Triumphant and inspiring, this autobiographical piece will thrill fans and charm all readers. (Picture-book biography. 4-8)

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October 3, 2022
Basketball player Tacko Fall (b. 1995)—who, at 7’6”, “always wanted to be known for more than just my height”—recounts his path to the NBA in this picture book. With simple but detailed prose, Fall and Haynes describe an active childhood in Dakar, where Fall was first exposed to basketball on TV. When a coaching group spots him on a local court, he begins a training regimen that eventually leads to a move to the U.S. for high school and college. Throughout, the creators emphasize the value of practice, hard work, and persistence—themes summed up by Fall’s response to an offer to play for the Boston Celtics: “I promised that I would practice hard, that I’d have courage, that I wouldn’t let anything distract me.” Brown’s geometric digital visuals feature Fall achieving “new heights” and offer a big payoff as they picture the figure dunking during his first professional game—a winning conclusion to a notable life story that foregrounds dreaming big and having courage. Ages 5–8.

September 2, 2022
Grades K-3 At seven feet, six inches, Tacko Fall is one of the world's tallest people. Growing up in Senegal, some kids teased him about his height, but his mother reminded him of his ancestors' courage and encouraged him to work toward important goals. After discovering basketball, he practiced hard and improved his skills, hoping to play in the NBA someday. When invited to move to America for high school and college, he accepted. Overcoming the challenges of separation from his family and learning a new language, he worked hard and attained his goal by playing for the Boston Celtics. Fall reminds children of the principles that inspired him: "Always dream BIG. Always have courage." In this autobiographical picture book, he encourages children to pursue their own dreams through focused, diligent effort, and his advice could apply to many goals. The simply expressed first-person narrative flows well throughout the book. Capturing childhood memories as vividly as action on the basketball court, Brown uses color beautifully in the digital illustrations. A welcome picture book for young basketball fans.

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