Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this digital arc.
Stickball is more than a game for the indigenous nations. Historically it was used as a tool to resolve disagreements by many indigenous nations, but this book shares a story of Vann a player on a Cherokee youth team. He wants to do his best for the team but needs to be more self confident, which he is by the end of the game. The reader also learns that stickball gave birth to lacrosse. The title replicates the sound of the sticks while back matter is very illuminating as to the format of the game.
#ClackClackSmackACherokeeStickballStory #NetGalley.

In CLACK, CLACK! SMACK! A CHEROKEE STICKBALL STORY by Traci Sorell, readers follow Vann & his team through a game of stickball. Vann isn’t the best player, but he finds a way to work with his teammates to help them win the game. The message of the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork resonates in this book highlighting a traditional Cherokee sport. The meaning of the Cherokee words that are interspersed through the text can be inferred by readers, but a glossary/pronunciation guide is provided at the end of the book. Additional information about the history of stickball and its role in Cherokee culture is included. The book’s high interest sports topic will provide an engaging way to introduce indigenous culture and traditions to young readers who may not be familiar with them.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I thought this was a beautifully written and illustrated picture book. I love that it used Cherokee words and had a glossary in the back with how to pronounce them. It is a great story about teamwork and friendship and not trying to win all the glory.

I love Traci Sorell's writing, but the illustrations were not to my taste. However, as the story continued, they grew on me.

Despite not understanding stickball, I was sucked into this story.

I also LOVE the Tsalagi (Cherokee) glossary at the end of the book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Charlesbridge for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Cherokee Stickball is not at all like LaCrosse, but the basis of teamwork is much the same.
A good book for children of any heritage to learn about people born in North America. For adults it is a small insight into another culture and some of its ways. It is written in an essentially bilingual format. I really appreciated the read.
The illustrations by Joseph Erb are fun, simple, brilliantly colorful, and instructive.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. Thank you!

I like how Cherokee/Tsalagi words are in the sentences, the reader can use context clues to figure out what they made. The main characters perseveres when he struggles in the stickball game. There is a glossary at the end. He is finally successful. There are real pictures and information about the game at the end, as will as information about the language too.

This book follows the story of Vann and his team as they play a game of stickball. Vann is worried because he is not as fast as the other players and missed and important shot in last week's game. Will Vann be able to help his team out to win the game? I loved how at the end of the book it includes a glossary of Cherokee words that were included in the story and an explanation of the game stickball. Everyone will learn something by reading this book. Highly recommend to kids who love to play sports.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story. This is a fun story for young children to learn more about a sport they may have not heard of before. Also, as a Cherokee person myself, I was happy to see Cherokee language used through out the story.

Vann is trying to play stickball, but he isn’t very good at it. He tries his best, and in the end his team wins, because he realizes that he is part of the team, and doesn’t play by himself, but plays with others.

The game they play is one that is familiar to the Chereokee children, and it helps them use their native language by speaking in it, while playing.

This is a story in English with words in Cherokee (Tsalagi), that you can get by inference. Or you can check the glossary in the back of the book, where we see the list of words. The author, a member of the Cherokee nation, emphasize how important it is that the language survives, and sport is one good way to keep the children using their language.

This book is for those children. It is good for non-indigenous people to read, but they might struggle with bits of it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published the 5th of August 2024.

I bought this book to discuss with my class. It has good content, but it is hard to follow. It would definitely help to have some knowledge of the Cherokee people. I read it on Kindle and the format didn't match up well, so it was at times hard to read. I thought the pictures were cute and the kids loved them. I would put the definitions of the words in the front. This would help as your reading the book. I gave it 3 stars due to the fact that it is not always grammatical. If your reading to a class it will cause some grammar issues. Overall very interesting and neat book.

This book has a great message about teamwork as well as a history lesson of the sport stickball. The illustrations are fun and colorful.

A simple and quick story about a little known sport. The art was a bit too basic and somewhat off-putting, but I love seeing Indigenous cultures represented in literature.

Some of the Tsalagi (Cherokee) words are unclear within the context of the story; however, there is a handy glossary in the back that shows the Tsalagi syllabary, the English translation, the pronunciation, and the meaning.

I enjoyed this book. I think it’s important for kids to learn about other cultures. I like how it incorporated the language and then at the back there was a glossary to teach you those words. I also liked how it gave information and real pictures in the back about the game of stickball.

Clack, clack ! Smack! A Cherokee stick ball story

By Traci Sorell,Joseph Erb

The story of Cherokee stickball is interesting it shows the cooperation that is needed to survive. This book shows not only the support and community but the roles of individuals. The use of the Cherokee language in the story expans the use and provisions of expanding the use of the language.
After the pandemic it took desperate measures to safe the language with immunization and health care.
It's interesting that new methods needed to be provided for retaining the language since the creation of the symbology of the language in the 17th century.

This is a cute story about kids playing stickball, and we get to learn several words in Cherokee while they are playing. We also get to learn, in the end, how important stickball is to the Cherokee culture. Interestingly, stickball was used to settle differences instead of fighting, and there were rules about how it was played, such as by gender.
I haven't come across many books about Cherokee culture, and this was really interesting. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Important content with rather discomfiting illustrations that appear somewhat stilted and grotesque. Even so, readers will learn a great deal about Cherokee language and tradition.

This one was a mixed bag for me. I really wanted to like it, not least because it is about the heritage of indigenous people, a topic that has generally too long been negated or ignored worldwide.

But the story was pretty basic, and the art was oddly proportioned, with the children's heads appearing very large for their bodies.

On the other hand, the book is worth buying - in my opinion - just for the information provided at the back about the history of Cherokee stickball. It was fascinating to hear that the game was not played recreationally by some, but in order to settle disputes between native American groups!

The importance of the Tsalagi/ Cherokee language to the tribespeople, and the devastating impact of COVID 19 in killing so many elders who are the keepers of that heritage in terms of fluency, also provided valuable information regarding which there needs to be greater awareness. Overall, worth buying for these aspects, and the story is told through utilising the language, so there is also that to recommend it.