Michael's Golden Rules

by Deloris Jordan, Roslyn M. Jordan, Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

"I've learned it takes heart to come out a winner every time, whether you win or lose."
-- Michael Jordan

Jonathan wants to win more than anything. But the Badgers haven't seen much of that lately. For Jonathan, the only good thing about the baseball season is being on the same team as his best friend, Michael. Jonathan wants to believe in himself and his team, but it's getting harder to do.

Then when Michael's uncle Jack tells the boys about his golden rules of baseball, Jonathan is confused. What could Uncle Jack mean -- there is more to a good game than winning or losing?

Deloris and Roslyn M. Jordan, mother and sister of basketball superstar Michael Jordan, tell a family story of personal best, friendship, and teamwork that will inspire. Kadir Nelson's radiant illustrations illuminate this story of what it really means to be a champion.

Genres: Picture Books, Sports, Childrens, Inspirational, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2007

About the author

Deloris Jordan is Michael Jordan's mother and the coauthor of Salt in His Shoes and Michael's Golden Rules, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; Did I Tell You I Love You Today?, illustrated by Shane W. Evans; and Dream Big, illustrated by Barry Root.

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about friendship, sportsmanship and what it really means to be a winner. Great picture book to teach kids about theme.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Michael Jordan's mom -

The rules are from Michael's uncle who played baseball in college:
-
Know the game
Pay attention to the coach at all times
know you opponent
Be a team player
practice a winning attitude
find out what you do best
find out what you need to work on
practice, practice, practice
Learn from your mistakes
Have fun!

Good rules...

[Stacy Natal · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could barely hold the attention of my student that is a Michael Jordan fan. The story line is weak, but the message about what it takes to be a good team player is useful.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason this doesn’t get one star is because I reserve those for books that are inaccurate or grossly offensive.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two boys learn the golden rules of baseball from an uncle adn then try to implement them in their little league. Elementary and up

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good lesson, but not very engagingly told. Much more tell than show.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've learned it takes heart to come out a winner every time, whether you win or lose.
~ Michael Jordan

[Jeff Botch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deloris Jordan’s book, “Michael’s Golden Rules“ is a classic baseball story that young baseball enthusiasts will surely treasure.

The story revolves around two young boys, Michael and Jonathan, who are passionate about baseball. The boys are teammates on their Little League team and have aspirations to make it to the playoffs and get to the Little League World Series.

The story begins with Jonathan striking out and feeling down about his performance. On their walk home, Jonathan, Michael and Michael’s Uncle Jack have a discussion about the game and what’s “really” important about the game. At this point, Michael suggests that his Uncle Jack tell them about the “Golden Rules.”

The next day, Jonathan and Michael walk to Uncle Jack’s house where he introduces the rules to the children.

My favorite part is when Jordan writes, “‘There’s only one way to find out,’ said Jonathan. He read rule 7 out loud: ‘Find out what you need to work on. Well, I know what I need to work on. My swing. Hey, Let’s go to the park and practice a little.’”

“Michael’s Golden Rules” is a book that teaches children many valuable lessons that include having a winning attitude, team work, the importance of practice and that winning in not everything.

Jordan’s book is a wonderful base for sports minded children and I highly recommend it

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Michael Jordan's mother and sister with a forward by Michael himself, this book focuses on the love of baseball. Told mostly through Michael's childhood friend's perspective, Michael and Jonathan get a set of rules for baseball from Michael's uncle. The rules are:

1) know the game
2) pay attention to the coach at ALL times
3) know your opponent
4) be a team player
5) practice a winning attitude
6) find out what you do best
7) Find out what you need to work on
8) practice, practice, practice
9) learn from your mistakes
10) have fun!

With these rules in mind, Jonathan and Michael improve their sportsmanship and start having more fun with the game of baseball.

The illustrations are by Kadir Nelson. The pictures explore various perspectives showing the action of the game up close. Excellent.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary (CIP): Jonathan's friend Michael, Michael's parents, and Jonathan's family help him do his best in the Badgers' big baseball game.

Review: This story falls flat and is predictable to the point of being boring. May be of interest to children into baseball, but little universal appeal. The illustrations however are stunning. Get rid of the text and you would have a wonderful wordless picture book!

SLJ and Publishers Weekly also give luke warm....to cool..reviews. SLJ says it well when it says that the book "looks promising but never reaches its potential."

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love sports, admire Michael Jordan, and am a huge fan of illustrator Kadir Nelson. I didn't love this book. The message was good, and I've noticed that teachers at my school check it out regularly, probably to share Uncle Jack's Golden Rules: Know the game, be a team player, practice, learn from your mistakes. But the story line is so weak, it just didn't hold my interest. Celebrity books often disappoint (they aren't writers) and that was the case for me with this one.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by Michael Jordan's mother and sister and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (not his strongest showing), this story comes from Jordan's youth playing baseball. The "rules" started out as his Uncle Jack's but he obviously took them as his own. Jordan is a major character in the story, but not the star, showing his love for play and the game along with his drive. The rules are instructional for everyone, but this book is going to appeal most to boys who play baseball.

[Janie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 for my reads with Aeverie this month. We both really enjoyed this one a lot. I found that this one teaches great values to the children that read it. Values like work together as a team, support one another, and winning is not always the most important thing, putting forth the effort is what counts the most. We both really enjoyed the characters in this story also they were fun and likable. The illustrations were also done so very well and brought great excitement to the story.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael's Golden Rules is a decent sports title, but it sometimes comes across as too preachy. The "Golden Rules" are all nice sentiments, but they are not always smoothly introduced in the story. The celebrity intro from Michael Jordan will call attention to the title, along with the fact that his mother and sister wrote the story, but this book seems to fall short.

[Alyse Liebovich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this book, despite the intro being written by the great Michael Jordan. But, again, sports books really don't hold my attention, so it could be the perfect book for a young boy (or girl) struggling at Little League, etc.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good rules for baseball and life.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Library books can be hard to muster enthusiasm for when they are picked by a beginning reader solely for the cover. This one was a nice lesson on why we shouldn't judge a book by its cover...

[Rachel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS A GOOD BOOK FOR YOUNG BOYS WHO WANT TO BE GREAT BALL PLAYERS, BUT MAY NOT HAVE LEARNED THE SKILLS OF THE GAME YET.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story with a good message for kids as well as adults. Kadir Nelson what can I say but he is an amazing illustrator. Recommend reading.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book about working hard!

[Lesley Burnap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for keeping sportsmanship in the game!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Jordan's uncle shares his golden rules with him and his friend, Jack. A good message for athletes of all ages and made all the better with beautiful illustrations from Kadir Nelson.

[Sarah Schill]

Genre: Traditional
This is a great story for teaching students to preserver. I love the message the books has. I would read this to my students if there was every conflict on the playground.