By My Brother's Side - Hardcover

Barber, Tiki; Barber, Ronde

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689865597 ISBN 13: 9780689865596

Publisher: A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books, 2004

Synopsis

Based on the childhood of National Football League superstars Ronde and Tiki Barber, this inspiring picture book about the values of family, hard work, and determination shows what it takes to be a champion.

Tiki and Ronde were each other’s best friends. Together from the start, these twins might not have been the strongest or the tallest, but they were fast and worked hard at what they loved. And they loved sports, especially football.

Then one day Tiki hurt his knee badly in a biking accident, and he was sure he’d never be able to play again. Their mother had always told them, “You are each other’s best friends. Stick together, believe in yourselves, and you can do anything.” They kept her words in their hearts and never gave up.

About this title

About the Author

Tiki Barber is a record-holding retired running back for the New York Giants. He married and is the father of four children.

Ronde Barber is a record-holding cornerback who retired after fifteen seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is one of only two cornerbacks selected to the Pro Bowl five times. He is married with two daughters.

Robert Burleigh is the award-winning author of many books for children, including The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn, illustrated by Barry Blitt; Night Flight, illustrated by Wendell Minor; Black Whiteness, illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop; and Sylvia’s Bookshop, illustrated by Katy Wu. His many other books include Hoops; Stealing Home; and Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! He lives in Michigan.

Barry Root is the illustrator of many books for children, including Gumbrella, which he also wrote; Dream Big; By My Brother’s Side; and Game Day, which received a Christopher Award in the category of books for young people. He lives with his family in Quarryville, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

Grade 1-5–NFL stars Tiki and Ronde Barber present sports fans with a sun-drenched childhood anecdote about perseverance. Although the twins were "born smaller than most babies," they grew up to be a rowdy pair. The boys never left one another's side until the summer when Tiki took a bad spill from his bike and broke his leg, forcing him to miss the entire baseball season. The narrative follows the siblings' agony during their summer-long separation and their eventual joy at being teammates again. Despite its lengthy, lackluster text and a somewhat anticlimactic ending, the authors' role-model status will attract an audience, and Root's soft, watercolor-and-gouache illustrations will capture readers' imaginations. Vibrant oranges and yellows suffuse the pages, creating a sense of nostalgia. Similar to Deloris and Roslyn M. Jordan's Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream (S & S, 2000), the Barbers' tale will be a popular addition to sports collections.–Ann M. Holcomb, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 1-3. There's not much of a story in this picture book written by the Barber twins, who both currently play in the NFL. On a summer afternoon, young Tiki breaks his leg in a bicycle accident and spends the next few months laid up, watching Ronde's baseball games and occasionally sneaking out of the house himself to get in some illicit playing time. He gradually recovers, and is ready for football in the fall. Along the way, he listens to plenty of pat phrases about keeping a good attitude. Root's watercolor-and-gouache double-page spreads nicely capture young players in action in a variety of sports. His image of the two brothers sitting by a football field among the orange hues of a waning autumn afternoon is particularly striking. Young fans of the Barber brothers will enjoy this book. Others may wish for a plot with more action and substance. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689865597
• ISBN 13: 9780689865596
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Root Barry
• Number of pages: 32