On the Course With...Tiger Woods - Hardcover

Matt Christopher is the best selling name behind more than 100 sports-themed books for young readers.

Grade 5-7-Narrator JD Jackson hits a hole in one while telling the triumphant story of golfer Tiger Woods, but the book by Matt Christopher (Little, 2002), while entertaining throughout, has trouble finishing under par. The first half of provides an absorbing, informative look at Woods and his parents. Tiger's African-American, part-Cherokee father met his half-Thai, half-Chinese mother in Thailand. They noticed early on that Tiger, when it came to golf, was a child prodigy. Woods' story is like a tall tale: at nine months he hit his first golf ball, and by two he was already demonstrating an ability to play the game. The early chapters are easily the best as Tiger wows the masses as a child appearing on television shows such as That's Incredible and The Mike Douglas Show. His dad, a former Green Beret, and mom, a Buddhist, taught Tiger how to concentrate and remain focused on his game. Jackson brings an energy and life to these sections, sounding impressed with Tiger's blossoming greatness. The second half of the book becomes less of a biography and more of a play-by-play rundown of Woods' triumphs and struggles in amateur and then professional competitions. Jackson makes every game sound exciting. We learn some superficial things about Tiger's life (he likes video games, he is friends with Michael Jordan), but very little about Woods the man. While Christopher does bring up controversies about Woods (the multimillion dollar product endorsements, Wood' rowdy fans shaking up what was once a quiet, reserved sport), the book is an exuberant ode to Tiger Woods and the ways in which he transformed golf into something new and exciting. Thanks to Jackson's narration, young fans will be cheering Woods all the way.
Brian E. Wilson, Evanston Public Library, IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.