Kick It, Mo! and Pass the Ball, Mo! by David A. Adler, illustrated by Sam Ricks

Today's post comes from Jackie Partch. Jackie is a School Corps Librarian at Multnomah County Library, where she does outreach to K-12 students. She was a member of the 2012 Geisel committee.

Mo Jackson is back in these two titles, sequels to the 2016 Geisel medal winner Don't Throw It to Mo! and 2017's Get a Hit, Mo! This time Mo is taking on soccer (Kick It, Mo!) and basketball (Pass the Ball, Mo!), and just as in the other books, he's still the smallest kid on his team. Even though he still sometimes struggles with the fundamentals of the sports, he once again manages to pull off wins each time. As in the previous books, the teams include a diverse cast of characters; both the basketball and soccer teams are coed, and the coaches are female.

Let's look at ways these books meet some of the Geisel criteria:

• Words are repeated in an easily recognizable pattern to ensure knowledge retention: This image from pages 4-5 of Kick It, Mo! is an excellent example of the use of repetition of a key word, and similar sections of patterned text happen throughout the books. And that pillow flying out of view is a great example of another criteria, the "page-turning" dynamic. Kids want to find out what will happen next!
• The illustrations function as keys or clues to the text: This is almost always the case; for example, in one scene the words cereal and blueberries are introduced, while the picture shows Mo tossing the berries into his bowl, next to the box of cereal on the counter. One exception is the more challenging word president, which is used on the first page of Pass the Ball, Mo! but not supported anywhere in the illustrations.
• New words are added slowly enough to make learning them a positive experience: Sports terms (such as goalie, pass, or shoot) are introduced gradually and always accompanied by visual support.
• Book design: The large typeface, uncluttered background, and average line lengths of 4-5 words make these ideal for beginning readers. 
• The subject matter must be intriguing enough to motivate the child to read: This one is a slam-dunk, since whenever I've introduced the other Mo books to kids, they always want to know if he plays soccer and/or basketball, too.

Both Mo books seem like strong contenders, but my personal favorite is Kick It, Mo! Since they have a similar plot structure, it will be interesting to see whether the Geisel committee considers these books "individually distinct" (one of the definitions of distinguished) enough to win another award.