A lesson in sportsmanship

For almost every day of their life, someone’s reminded your child to share.

Sharing is often about teamwork, and in the new book, “Little Shaq,” (illustrated by Theodore Taylor III), author Shaquille O’Neal shares a story.

It was almost the end of the game, and Little Shaq was hot. Every shot he took was “nothin’ but net.” He just could not miss — nor did he miss seeing his cousin, Barry, who called for the ball, but Little Shaq never passed it to him.

When the game was over, and his team won, Little Shaq went looking for Barry. He knew something was wrong. Barry didn’t want to talk. Barry was angry.

Once they got home, Little Shaq tried everything to make Barry laugh. Finally, he offered to let Barry be “Player One” on their favorite video game, which meant Barry got to pick the team name. Barry accepted the offer, and the boys started playing, but Little Shaq couldn’t help himself. He wouldn’t — couldn’t — share. One thing led to another, and bang! The boys’ favorite game was accidentally broken.

Their friend, Rosa, who’d seen everything, pointed out that both boys were at fault. Little Shaq’s dad said they needed to work together to replace the broken game. But would they ever be able to earn that kind of money?

That week in school the boys’ teacher, Ms. Terpenny, announced that the class was going to study plants by growing a garden. Both Barry and Little Shaq knew people who loved plants. Some of their neighbors had gardens, and someone had to make sure the flowers and vegetables were watered. He and Barry could start a gardening business!

And so they did, learning as they went along, making mistakes, but earning money, too. It was a great way to save for a video game replacement. But could they put their new talents together with their old ones to make a difference in their neighborhood?

Kids who live for basketball will love this easy-reader story, partly because it’s written by retired player.

O’Neal reached back into his childhood to create this tale, which is something 7- to 10-year-old athletes will enjoy knowing; teachers and parents will appreciate that kids will get gently told lessons in working together, figuring out problems, and being responsible and self-sufficient.

This is a great choice for children who are just starting to enjoy chapter books, and the illustrations make it a good book to browse.

“Little Shaq,” by Shaquille O’Neal [74 pages, 2015, $9.99].

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.