Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story

Illustrated by Joseph Erb
Vann, a struggling stickball player, competes in a game on the Cherokee Nation. Can he help his team win? Written by award-winning Cherokee author Traci Sorell.

Vann loves playing his tribe’s stickball game, but he’s not as skilled as his teammates. Vann stumbles, and he tries and fails to score. How can he help his teammates win? 

Exciting and fast-paced, Clack, Clack! Smack! reminds readers that sportsmanship and being a team player is just as important as being the star. Back matter explains the origins of Cherokee stickball.
Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction for children featuring contemporary characters and compelling biographies. She is the author of Powwow Day, We Are Still Here!, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga,  and coauthor of Mascot. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.

Joseph Erb is a computer animator, film producer, educator, language technologist and artist enrolled in the Cherokee Nation. He earned his MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Erb created the first Cherokee animation in the Cherokee language, “The Beginning They Told.” He has spent many years working on projects that will expand the use of Cherokee language in technology and the arts. He teaches at the University of California Santa Cruz. He has spent his life in the continued dedication to continue Indigenous stories and language. www.josepherb.com
  • AWARD | 2024
    Junior Library Guild Selection
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additional book photo
additional book photo

About

Vann, a struggling stickball player, competes in a game on the Cherokee Nation. Can he help his team win? Written by award-winning Cherokee author Traci Sorell.

Vann loves playing his tribe’s stickball game, but he’s not as skilled as his teammates. Vann stumbles, and he tries and fails to score. How can he help his teammates win? 

Exciting and fast-paced, Clack, Clack! Smack! reminds readers that sportsmanship and being a team player is just as important as being the star. Back matter explains the origins of Cherokee stickball.

Author

Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction for children featuring contemporary characters and compelling biographies. She is the author of Powwow Day, We Are Still Here!, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga,  and coauthor of Mascot. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.

Joseph Erb is a computer animator, film producer, educator, language technologist and artist enrolled in the Cherokee Nation. He earned his MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Erb created the first Cherokee animation in the Cherokee language, “The Beginning They Told.” He has spent many years working on projects that will expand the use of Cherokee language in technology and the arts. He teaches at the University of California Santa Cruz. He has spent his life in the continued dedication to continue Indigenous stories and language. www.josepherb.com

Awards

  • AWARD | 2024
    Junior Library Guild Selection

Photos

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additional book photo
additional book photo

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