And Suns fans have probably seen this for purchase at the arena. But this book is so much more than a fan purchase.<\/p>\n
This image is Copyright \u00a9 2025 NBA Media Ventures, LLC. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just one story \u2014 it\u2019s two teams, two languages, and one Valley coming together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Claudia sloan – author\/illustrator<\/p>\n Paraphrasing slightly from Claudia Sloan\u2019s author site<\/a>, this hardcover edition features a beautiful glossy dust jacket and full-color printing across 40 pages plus endpapers. It\u2019s fully bilingual\u2014English and Spanish\u2014designed in a unique flip-book style: start from one side to read the English version, flip it over to read the Spanish version, and both stories meet in the middle!<\/p>\n Each side includes fun surprises and subtle differences, making it a delight for bilingual readers, single-language readers, and language learners alike. It\u2019s truly like having two books in one\u2014packed with hidden details, crafted with love (and a whole lot of basketball spirit)\u2026 and proudly made in the U.S.A!<\/p>\n At the time of writing, this publication is not for sale outside of the U.S.A. However, families and Suns fans in Phoenix? This is for you.<\/a><\/p>\n Literacy Is the Real Long-Term Championship Window<\/p>\n When Jake Adams of Southwest Human Development<\/a> (SWHD) described to me the power of reading\u2014how a parent\u2019s voice, rhythm, repetition, and storytelling create neurological foundations and emotional bonds\u2014it sounds almost\u2026 familiar.<\/p>\n Sounds like basketball, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n The child who learns to love language becomes the teenager who commands a locker room. The toddler who absorbs narrative becomes the adult who can lead, persuade, and listen. The real MVP isn\u2019t always 6\u20196\u201d with a silky midrange. Sometimes it\u2019s three feet tall and asking, \u201cAgain?\u201d after the last page.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why this book matters. Because it proves Phoenix knows how to build winners. True winners.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen families read this book together, they\u2019re not just building language. They\u2019re building lifelong relationships.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014 Jake Adams – SWHD<\/p>\n That right there is Phoenix basketball energy. Less about performance and more about presence. The same values that shape chemistry on the court are being built in living rooms across the Valley.<\/p>\n The Suns Mercury Foundation Is Helping Raise Readers, Not Just Supporters<\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about legacy for a moment.<\/p>\n Stepping back from the sense of immediacy and the \u201cwhat have you done for me lately\u201d rhetoric that basketball fans may espouse regarding the Phoenix Suns and the Mercury\u2019s recent efforts on the floor, it can be easy to miss that there is so much more success going on here that parents, caregivers and Phoenix basketball fans alike can feel proud about and protective of.<\/p>\n Once you get a cross-pollination of effort and resources, such as the Suns Mercury Foundation and SouthWest Human Development coming together to support families, young children, and caregivers alike, the potential for children across Arizona to have the start in life they deserve becomes the feasible goal it deserves to be.<\/p>\n And in its own small, powerful, and unique way, that\u2019s where this book comes in.<\/p>\n From Storytime to Showtime<\/p>\n As I write this, the final preseason buzzer is about to sound, with the Suns taking on the Lakers to kickstart the 2025\u201326 campaign. Soon, we\u2019ll resume our nightly rituals of arguing rotations, tracking stat lines, and emotionally overreacting to everything Ryan Dunn does.<\/p>\n [Actually, there could be a children\u2019s book in that for me\u2026 \u201cHave You Done What Ryan Dunn Does?\u201d<\/strong> I\u2019ll have to reach out to Ryan\u2019s team and see if he wants to get in on this creative writing thing. From what I hear, he loves photography.]<\/p>\n And maybe that\u2019s the real legacy of Phoenix sports and the organizations that put their hand up to represent their communities\u2014not just the memories we make in packed arenas, but the habits we pass down in quiet living rooms. Basketball gives us the language. Storytime makes it stick.<\/p>\n But before tip-off, let\u2019s appreciate that while the scoreboard resets to 0\u20130, Phoenix is already undefeated where it counts most.<\/p>\n Championships are unforgettable. But traditions read aloud? Claudia Sloan.Author<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Somos-El-Valle.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Those echo forever.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Author](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9955-rotated.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n