Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball - John Coy and Joe Morse

James Naismith never wanted to teach gym class—he only started doing so at his college in 1891 because no one else was available. The world is lucky he did, though, because it was there that he invented the game of basketball. After trying unsuccessfully to play games indoors that both wore out his group of rowdy boys and kept them mentally engaged, James decided to come up with one of his own. The Hoop Genius (Carolrhoda, $16.95) finally developed a game everyone loved after he recalled games he played as a child and constructed the first basketball hoops out of peach baskets. John Coy’s delightful story about the importance of creativity and invention is well paired with Joe Morse’s bold illustrations. Ages 6-9. AJK