sentences:  His first picture book, "Night Driving," was inspired by cross-country driving trips on which his father took his family of six when the author was young.John, the oldest, usually sat in front with his father, talking during the wee hours of the night, learning more about his dad than he did when the family was at home.John's book "Strong to the Hoop" involved him in the National Basketball Association's Read to Achieve program.