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CNN Live Today

Hoop Dreams Versus Reality

Aired September 03, 2002 - 10:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As children across America head back to school, many will take part in sports, and of those who do, many dream of being superstars of baseball, football, soccer, basketball. But we know the reality: For most kids, hoop dreams are just that.
So how do you teach your kids about reaching their goals in life, without spoiling their dreams of success? Charisse Richardson is the author of "The Real Slam Dunk." It's a children's chapter book that teaches kids about turning their hoop dreams into more achievable ones. And her message is catching on. The NBA invited her to join their Read to Achieve national all-star reading team, and that in itself a dream come true. And she is with us right now.

Congratulations.

CHARISSE RICHARDSON, AUTHOR, "THE REAL SLAM DUNK": Well, thank you very much.

KAGAN: And good for you for not just writing a book, but for helping kids.

RICHARDSON: Right, that is really the purpose and the point of writing the book, to be able to help for kids aspire to be things other than only professional athletes.

KAGAN: And a fine line here, because if a kid has any kind of dram, you don't want to squelch that dream, so I think it's interesting that you went to the place that a lot of kids do have dreams, and that's to the court, but you meet them there, and you try to take them on a journey somewhere else.

RICHARDSON: Exactly, you cannot preach the message to them and expect them to get it. What you have to do is meet them where they are And many kids love sports, and often, they don't necessarily like to read, so you take what they like in terms of sports, and use that to turn it into something positive, and say, hey, everybody can't be like Michael Jordan, why don't you take that energy and think about all of the other things that you can become.

KAGAN: Because there is a lot of cool stuff out there -- engineer, doctor, lawyer, just to name a few.

RICHARDSON: And even careers within sports, other than just being a player -- a coach, a team owner, the team physician, so many of other things.

KAGAN: I think even include reporter on your list. Thank you for doing that?

RICHARDSON: Exactly.

KAGAN: Appreciate that. And you do this also by telling a story. You have a central character, Marcus.

RICHARDSON: Right.

KAGAN: What happens to Marcus?

RICHARDSON: Well, this is a fictional story, and what happens is Marcus has a twin sister named Mia. Marcus and Mia go on a field trip to meet their favorite professional athlete at a basketball game, and what happens is Marcus is good in math, but he thinks school will is really a waste of time. And when goes to the game, he meets his favorite athlete, and the athlete actually loves school, graduated from college, not only went, but graduated, and says, hey, Marcus, it is OK to be like me, but think all of the other things you can do just in case your dream of playing pro ball doesn't come true.

KAGAN: Doesn't work out.

And with this, of course you're hoping that parents read this along with their kids.

RICHARDSON: Right, there's a note to parents at the beginning of the book, that encourages parents to not stifle or spoil their kids dreams of becoming an athlete, but encourages them to inspire creativity among their kids.

KAGAN: We have it up on the screen. Also encourage education.

RICHARDSON: Exactly, encourage education, and also encourage them to dream of all the different career possibilities that are out there, so that in case they don't become an athlete, they can still be successful in the game of life.

KAGAN: Do you have a certain target audience for this book, a certain type of kid or a certain age?

RICHARDSON: You know really, Daryn, in going around and speaking to kids at schools and camps across the country, I found that the message for the book is really universal. It is relevant for all kids, whether a kid from an urban community, or a kid in a suburban community, that plays soccer, or plays baseball, or plays basketball. Regardless of the sport, most kids aspire to become professional athletes or entertainers at some point in their lives. So it's relevant for all children.

KAGAN: And let me ask this, 10-year-old Charisse, did she dream of growing up and being a published author?

RICHARDSON: Ten-year-old Charisse dreamed of growing up to be just like Daryn Kagan, being a sports reporter, but I was also a big -- or a newscaster. I was also a big sports fan, so I've always been a spectator and always had an interests in sports, but I knew just like I'm sure you did, like sports, but there were so many other things you could become, so I loved sports, but I knew sports had its place. At the same time, I had to do well in school in order to be so many different other things.

KAGAN: And now the sky is the limit, as we go along and take the kids for the ride. The book is "The Real Slam Dunk." Charisse Richardson, thank you so much. Congratulations, and good luck with the book.

RICHARDSON: Well, thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thanks for stopping by.

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