Extreme Surfing ANNOTATION
Describes the history of surfing and the equipment, skills, techniques, and safety concerns of this sport.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature
This title is part of the publisher's "Extreme Sports" series, which highlights nontraditional athletic endeavors made relatively famous by the X-Games, an event broadcast by the cable television network, ESPN. Extreme surfing is a sport where participants surf large waves while also doing stunts. While the origin of extreme surfing is left unmentioned, surfing itself has been around for nearly 1,000 years, when Polynesians took the first boards, weighing 150 pounds, which would be absurdly heavy today, out into the surf. This book outlines the basics of surfing, both the extreme version and its more traditional cousin, and includes discussion of the sport's history, rules, equipment and safety rules. The illustrations are clearly the book's strength, with many remarkable color photographs depicting surfers in the midst of seemingly harrowing rides. While smartly done, this book and its series companions focus on a very narrow marketﾽthose young readers who are enthusiasts of the X-Games and their sports progeny. 2000, Capstone Press. Ages 8 to 10. Reviewer: Bruce Adelson
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Each overview includes chapters on the sport's history, equipment and safety, skills, and competition. The frequent full- and half-page color photographs depict teens and adults participating in the sports. All three titles include a full-spread labeled "Photo Diagram" of an individual engaged in the activity (with arrows identifying equipment). Surfing also includes slang terms. The "Extreme Sports Collection" (Rosen) features more enticing photo layouts and, like the "Radical Sports" series (Heinemann Library), includes eye-catching graphic sidebars. The Capstone offerings can be used in conjunction with those series, depending on the sports desired.-Diane Olivo-Posner, Long Beach Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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