The game is bigger than the scoreboard.
For a podcast, a school newsletter, a community group, or local media.
Joey Ignoffo is the author of The Peculiar Playbook, a children’s book series inspired by youth sports, character, faith, and the lessons that matter long after the final whistle. The goal isn’t only to raise better athletes. It’s to help raise better people, on the court and in life.
The illustrations for The Tallest Heart were created by Hines Creative, the Chicago studio of Wes Hines. I’m grateful for the creativity and care that helped bring Clark and the world of The Peculiar Playbook to life.
For children ages 4 to 7. An illustrated picture book. Coming soon in paperback.
Joey Ignoffo is the author of The Peculiar Playbook, a children’s book series inspired by youth sports, character, faith, and the lessons that matter long after the final whistle. Through stories about young athletes learning to lead, serve, encourage, and grow, he hopes to help families and coaches put character first, on the court, on the field, and in life. The goal isn’t just to raise better athletes. It’s to help raise better people. He had always wanted to coach, and never quite felt ready. When his daughter signed up for soccer, he volunteered as an assistant. Nobody stepped forward to lead, and someone handed him the whistle for a sport he hadn’t played, watched, or coached. If you’ve seen Ted Lasso, you get the idea. He made do, learned as he went, and found his way back to basketball and baseball. The game, he says, is bigger than the scoreboard.
In The Tallest Heart, Clark is the littlest goat in a basketball family. On the way to his first practice, his dad asks him a question: are you going to be a thermometer, or a thermostat?
Clark is the littlest goat in a basketball family. His sister can dunk over a fence, his brother never seems to miss, and Clark mostly likes his new sneakers because they squeak. On the way to his very first practice, Dad asks him whether he is going to be a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer only reports the temperature. A thermostat changes it. The Tallest Heart is that basketball lesson, and a life lesson: you can reflect the atmosphere around you, or you can help change it.
The Peculiar Playbook is a children’s book series inspired by youth sports, character, faith, and the lessons that matter long after the final whistle. The Tallest Heart is the first book.
Occasional book updates, new printable activities, and simple ways to bring character and teamwork conversations into everyday life.
No spam. Just the book news and resources you signed up for. This list is for grown-ups. We don’t ask children for an email. We keep the name and email you type here, and we use them only to send that. Nothing else, and not to anyone else. How we use what you send
The Thermostat Challenge is free to print. No email needed.
