Author and Illustrator: Kadir Nelson Little Brown Books For Young Readers January 2008
Synopsis (From Publisher):
The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners, of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship, of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball.
CWR Review:
Kadir Nelson strikes again in this 78-page picture book about the history of Negro League Baseball. Just like in Heart and Soul the Story of African Americans, this story is told from the perspective of an unidentified narrator who passes through the decades. Men who were ignored while living are honored in this book, many of them listed by name with their athletic abilities beautifully highlighted. Mr. Nelson starts at the beginning of baseball history and then walks the reader through the birth of the Negro Leagues (due to racial discrimination). He does not stop there however. I was thoroughly impressed with the description of how African Americans played their version of baseball. The life of the Negro Leagues are chronicled right up until Jackie RobinsonΒ receives his big opportunity to be the guinea pig for integrating the Major Leagues.Β The book ends with the players who followed in Robinson’s footsteps and the eventual dissolving of the Negro Leagues. In the postscript, Mr. Nelson includes a heart felt authors note (worthy of your time please donβt ignore it) as well as a list of the men who were called up to the Major Leagues.
“Men who were ignored while living are honored in this book, many of them listed by name with their athletic abilities beautifully highlighted ”
This is exactly the kind of book that’ll change our mind about picture books. Kadir does the work of a historian and tells the story, in beautiful detail with wittiness and pity: pity for those who condoned hatred and discrimination, and wit that supported the dignityΒ and determination of the players who met that hate at every turn. There is no chip on the narrators shoulders, just a simple sharing of events of the past that are typically overlooked by most history books.
Warmly narrated, witty, satisfying…Get yours here or here.
Themes- African American history, American History, History of Baseball- Negro Leagues
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