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Back in Alberta in the summer of 1983, representatives of a small town named Eckville met with a nearby Jewish community in Edmonton, after the antisemitic conspiracy theory-fuelled lessons of the town's social studies teacher and mayor, Jim Keegstra, became national news. They were invited to a get together at a Jewish summer camp, away from the press and onlookers, so that Keegstra's former students, who'd been taught so much hatred, could have a picnic, play sports, and meet Jewish kids for the first time. Filmmaker/Author Hart Snider was a scared nine year old that summer, who'd never even been away at camp before, and ended up playing in a basketball game he's never forgotten.
Adapted from the award-winning animated short of the same name, THE BASKETBALL GAME, with art by Sean Covernton, is a book about fighting fear and stereotypes with hope and tolerance. Includes a guide to help parents and educators to discuss difficult topics such as hate speech, conspiracy theories, and antisemitism.
Recommended for readers 12+, has depictions of antisemitism.
We frequently see memoirs produced in graphic novel form, but “The Basketball Game” stands out among the rest.... It’s a satisfying story. It’s a simple one, based on one time and place, but Snider and Covernton have still created a graphic novel that’s provocative and interesting. -- Toronto Star, Mike Donachie Published On: 2022-12-10
With its incredible illustrations and powerful message, it’s a great read for kids 10 and older. -- Edmonton Journal, Justin Bell Published On: 2022-11-22
In this graphic autobiographical short, a boy recalls being the lesson in somebody else's teachable moment... A brief and accessible entry point to learning about the ease of spreading ignorant hatred. ― Kirkus Published On: 2022-09-28
One of the many aspects of The Basketball Game that I especially like is the dominance of the children's perspective and experience. It is from this approach that the drawings transform from black and white ink panels of the characters interacting to full colour monster comic book art depicting the outlandish and comical figures their imaginations have created... Highly Recommended. -- Joel Gladstone ― Canadian Review of Materials Published On: 2022-09-30
[A] Remarkable kids book... The Basketball Game is a fun and inspiring short film and graphic novel, but comes out of a dark story in Canadian history. -- Brian Henry ― TheJ.ca Published On: 2022-09-28
With its incredible illustrations and powerful message, it’s a great read for kids 10 and older. -- Edmonton Journal, Justin Bell Published On: 2022-11-22
In this graphic autobiographical short, a boy recalls being the lesson in somebody else's teachable moment... A brief and accessible entry point to learning about the ease of spreading ignorant hatred. ― Kirkus Published On: 2022-09-28
One of the many aspects of The Basketball Game that I especially like is the dominance of the children's perspective and experience. It is from this approach that the drawings transform from black and white ink panels of the characters interacting to full colour monster comic book art depicting the outlandish and comical figures their imaginations have created... Highly Recommended. -- Joel Gladstone ― Canadian Review of Materials Published On: 2022-09-30
[A] Remarkable kids book... The Basketball Game is a fun and inspiring short film and graphic novel, but comes out of a dark story in Canadian history. -- Brian Henry ― TheJ.ca Published On: 2022-09-28
Powerful, brief, and very well conceived, this tale can help children approach their fear of (imaginary) enemies… A worthy addition for libraries looking for anti-bias materials. -- Robin Levin - School Library Journal - Published On: 2013-05-01
This illustrated monologue about an unlikely summer-camp summit (an athletic contest between Jewish kids and students who were taught by a bigoted teacher to hate Jews) stands out for its effective mix of words and pictures. -- Josh Bell - Las Vegas Weekly - Published On: 2013-02-13
Preteen fears of anti-semitism fuel fantastic imagery; innocence proffers fearful powers of imagination… It may not be true that ‘hate cannot hold up to a basketball game,’ but Snider makes this wish come true for a few minutes. --Joann Green Breuer - Arts Fuse, Published On: 2012-11-15
Tackling fear and prejudice can be a tall order for any film, but that Snider is able to do so with honesty and humor all from the perspective of a child in five minutes is quite remarkable…. Recommended for all libraries. -- Sebastian Derry - Educational Media Reviews Online - Published On: 2013-07-11
This illustrated monologue about an unlikely summer-camp summit (an athletic contest between Jewish kids and students who were taught by a bigoted teacher to hate Jews) stands out for its effective mix of words and pictures. -- Josh Bell - Las Vegas Weekly - Published On: 2013-02-13
Preteen fears of anti-semitism fuel fantastic imagery; innocence proffers fearful powers of imagination… It may not be true that ‘hate cannot hold up to a basketball game,’ but Snider makes this wish come true for a few minutes. --Joann Green Breuer - Arts Fuse, Published On: 2012-11-15
Tackling fear and prejudice can be a tall order for any film, but that Snider is able to do so with honesty and humor all from the perspective of a child in five minutes is quite remarkable…. Recommended for all libraries. -- Sebastian Derry - Educational Media Reviews Online - Published On: 2013-07-11
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Winner - Most Inspirational Short Film, Reel 2 Real Film Festival, Vancouver, BC
Winner - Best Animated Film, Viewfinders International Film Festival for Youth, Halifax, NS Winner - Best Short Film, Seattle Jewish Film Festival, Seattle, WA, USA Nominee - Best Animation Program or Series, Leo Awards Nominee - Best Direction in an Animated Program or Series, Leo Awards Nominee - Best Screenwriting in an Animated Program or Series, Leo Awards Nominee - Best Performance in an Animated Program or Series, Leo Awards 
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Global Visions Film Festival, Edmonton, AB
Palm Springs International Film Festival Shortfest, Palm Springs, USA Calgary International Film Festival, Calgary, AB Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Toronto, ON Dok Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, Leipzig, Germany Chicago International Children's Festival, Chicago, Illinois, USA Boston Jewish Film Festival, Boston, MA, USA Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Atlanta, GA Cinema Society, Museum of Tolerance, 'Evening of Award Winning Short Films' Los Angeles, CA, USA Jerusalem International Film Festival, Jerusalem, Israel Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma d'Animation, Wissembourg, France International Short Film Festival, Sukagawa, Japan San Francisco Jewish Film Festival San Francisco, CA USA UK Jewish Film Festival, London, UK Canadian Sport Film Festival, Winnipeg, MB |
