Clack, Clack! Smack!: A Cherokee Stickball Story

Traci Sorell

Aug 2025 · Live Oak Media

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About this ebook

Written and illustrated by Cherokee Nation tribal members, this fast-paced story follows a game of social stickball played by children from two Cherokee communities in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation.

Interspersed with the exciting play-by-play of the game is the Tsalagi language (called Cherokee in English), which reflects the importance of keeping the language alive. Vann loves his tribal game, but he isn't as skilled as his teammates. With the coach's encouragement to work together—gadugi—an important Cherokee value, and the help of his best friend Jesse, Vann overcomes his self-doubt in this uplifting story of team spirit and collaboration. Includes a Tsalagi glossary and notes about stickball and language.

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About the author

Traci Sorell is the author of Sibert, Orbis Pictus, AILA American Indian Youth Literature Award, and Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. Her title Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer was also named an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and a AILA American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.

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