Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series

Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series
by Traci Sorell
illustrated by Arigon Starr
Kokila, 2023
Grades 2 and up

This nonfiction picture book highlights two Native baseball players who competed on opposing teams in the 1911 World Series. The narrative begins with a play-by-play of the action with John Meyers (Cahuilla) at bat for the New York Giants and Charles Bender (Ojibwe) pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics in Game One. However, this is not just a sports story about two talented players. It's about the history being made when "the first two citizens of Native Nations" play against each other in a baseball championship. It's also a story about the racism and disrespect Meyers and Bender encountered from the press, other players, managers, and the public during their careers in the Major Leagues.

After the World Series action, the story then turns to the childhood of Charles, who grew up on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota and John who lived on a Cahuilla reservation in Southern California. Both boys showed a talent for playing baseball and followed different paths before becoming professional baseball players. Through the story, readers will learn about how Native children were sent away to boarding schools and forced to assimilate to the culture of Christian white people. Charles met Pop Warner at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. Warner will be a familiar name to many readers.

Starr's realistic style illustrations are hand-drawn and digital based on archival photos. Frames and borders are effectively placed around illustrations to replicate photographs and baseball cards. Cahuilla and Ojibwe designs are beautifully incorporated into the illustrations throughout the book. Sorell brings the story to a close by pointing out that Native athletes today still face the same challenges with "derogatory chants" and "racist team mascots."

Contenders conveys the excitement of a sports story, the narrative style of a biography, and the difficult truths about the discrimination and mistreatment of Native people in the United States both past and present. It will capture the attention of sports enthusiasts, but it should be shared with a wider audience to educate children about the injustices Native athletes have faced in the past and still face in the U.S. today.

Listen to Traci Sorell and Arigon Starr discuss Contenders in this NPR interview.

Epic Athletes: Alex Morgan

Epic Athletes: Alex Morgan  
by Dan Wetzel
illustrations by Cory Thomas
Henry Holt and Company, 2019
Grades 3-7

The US women's national soccer team has been dominating the World Cup in in France this month. A new series of sports nonfiction has been released just in time for kids who want to learn more about the life of soccer player, Alex Morgan.

The Epic Athletes series combines exciting narrative with comic book-style illustrations. Readers will discover how Morgan became interested in playing soccer and what her middle school and high school years were like on the field and at home. Dan Wetzel also uses quotes and Tweets from Morgan to enhance the story. Morgan went on to play soccer for UCal Berkley before earning a spot on the national team. There are many examples of Morgan overcoming injury and adversity. The book also describes Morgan's involvement in the movement demanding equal pay for female athletes. Wetzel succeeds at keeping the play-by-play soccer game parts of the book interesting and exciting. Epic Athletes: Alex Morgan will appeal to many middle grade readers including soccer fans and readers who enjoy inspirational stories.

Visit the publisher's site to read a passage from the book.

Be sure to check out other books in the Epic Athletes series including Stephen Curry, Serena Williams and Tom Brady.

Yogi Blog Tour and Giveaway

Yogi: The Life, Loves and Language of Baseball Legend Yogi Berra
by Barb Rosenstock
illustrated by Terry Widener
Calkins Creek, 2019
Grades K-5

Today we are taking part in the Yogi blog tour! We are also giving away one copy of Yogi thanks to the generosity of Calkins Creek. To enter the giveaway, complete the form at the bottom the post.

Rosenstock, known for her many picture book biographies, once again offers readers an engaging narrative in Yogi about the life of Yogi Berra, “the greatest catcher who ever lived.” 

Yogi Berra, whose real nice was Lorenzo Pietro (Lawrence Peter) Berra was born on May 12, 1925 in a primarily Italian neighborhood in St. Louis, MO.  Called Lawdie, this “short, big-nosed, funny-looking kid - one of the neighborhood boys who went piazza! - crazy - for baseball!” After World War II in 1946, Yogi was signed on to the New York Yankees. At first people made fun of Yogi because he was short (only 5’8”), had a big nose, talked funny (I want to thank everyone who made this day necessary”), and really wasn't that great of a catcher. ("We made too many mistakes"-Yogi Berra.) At the Yankees spring training that first year, a retired catcher worked with him. “After months of practice, Yogi took charge, shifting fielders, calming pitchers, keeping umpires on their toes. When he left the New York Yankees in 1963, Yogi had earned a World Series ring for each finger, more than any other player in history!

Quotes of Yogi's are placed throughout the book. Widener’s colorful, cartoon-like illustrations, rendered in acrylic on Bristol paper, capture the mood and excitement of Yogi’s time playing for the minor and eventually major league baseball teams. Supporting the text is an author's' note, stats for Yogi, a bibliography, and source notes.

A loving tribute to one of America’s greatest ball players. 

Don't miss the other stops on the Yogi Blog Tour.

Monday, 3/18                     Mile High Reading

Tuesday, 3/19                     Book Q&A’s with Deborah Kalb

Wednesday, 3/20                Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook

Thursday, 3/21                   Behind the Scenes @BMP

Friday, 3/22                        Anatomy of Nonfiction

Wednesday, 3/27                KidLit Frenzy

Thursday, 3/28                   Celebrate Picture Books

Friday, 3/29                        Unleashing Readers

Unstoppable

Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army 
by Art Coulson
illustrated by Nick Hardcastle
Capstone, 2018
Grades 2-6

Unstoppable is an inspiring picture book biography about one of the best athletes of the 20th century. Young readers will be amazed by the talent of football and track & field legend, Jim Thorpe. Before describing Thorpe's athletic accomplishments, the author provides readers with background information about the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and how Native children were taken from their families and forced to learn trades and give up their language and traditions. Coulson effectively writes about a serious topic in a manner that is appropriate for elementary readers.

While he was a student at Carlisle, Thorpe was introduced to the coach Pop Warner. With coaching from Warner, Thorpe went on to win a gold medal at the Olympics in Pentathlon, and he led the Carlisle football team to victory over West Point. Realistic-style watercolor illustrations with pen and ink lines work well with the story. Back matter includes additional information about Thorpe, Warner and the Carlisle School including some harsh truths. Warner was fired from Carlisle due to abusive treatment of his players, and hundreds of children at Carlisle died from malnourishment and mistreatment. Coulson effectively captures the excitement and significance of the football game between Carlisle and Army while also describing the government's cruel and inhumane treatment of Native children

Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon

Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon 

by Annette Bay Pimentel

illustrated by Michael Archer

Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018

Grades K-5

This morning 30,000 runners will compete in the Boston Marathon. The race is one of the oldest marathons in existence. When the Boston Marathon was established in 1897, women were not allowed to entered. This did not change until 1972. 

Girl Running, a new picture book biography of Bobbi Gibb chronicles the story of the first woman to compete in the Boston Marathon. After introducing readers to a young Gibb who loved to run, the story shifts to 1966 when Bobbi Gibb was denied entry to the Boston Marathon because of her gender. This didn't stop Gibb. She put on a large sweatshirt and joined the race near the start line.

Pimentel describes the excitement and of Gibb running the race in unofficially as she's cheered on by onlookers. The text is simple and accessible to young readers. Archer uses different textures and patterns using oil paint and collage to show movement and motion. Don't miss the Afterword which contains more information about Gibbs and the history of women running in the Boston Marathon. Read aloud Girl Running to children of all ages. It is sure to spark discussions about gender equity and how one person can make a difference.  

Between the Lines by Sandra Neil Wallace

Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery

Sandra Neil Wallace; Illustrations by Bryan Collier

Simon & Schuster. 2018

ISBN: 9781481443876

Grades 3 and up

To write this review, I used a copy sent by the publisher.

As a child, Ernest Barnes loved to paint. He would wait until the backyard turned to mud after a North Carolina rain. Painting mud.  With a stick, he drew lines: straight, curved, loops, and lines that crossed. Growing up in the segregated South of the 1940’s, Barnes introduction to the master painters was at the house of a white lawyer where his mother was a housekeeper. The first time Ernest saw a room full of leather books and mahogany frames “that Mama polished, he stared at the beautiful paintings in the frames.”

Though he never left the house without a sketchbook, it was his talent as a football player that allowed Ernest to attend college on a football scholarship. After college, Barnes would play for the American Football League until 1964. when he became the Official Artist for the American Football League and was paid a football players salary. 

In this compelling narrative, Wallace conveys Barnes determination to fulfill his dream of one day making his living as an artist. Born in 1938, Barnes was one of the most important artist of his time. Known for his style of elongation and movement, his work has influenced a generation of illustrators and painters. 

The book is beautifully illustrated by Bryan Collier, four-time Caldecott Honor recipient, six-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award recipient, and three-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award recipient. The book’s art is rendered in watercolor and collage. In his illustrator’s note, Collier states, “There are areas where I show you the actual art of Ernie Barnes with his signature exaggerated figures in expressive motion.” 

This informational picture book biography will be of interest to sports fans, and those who someday dream of being a professional artist. Back matter includes an author and illustrator’s note, source notes for quotes, and a bibliography to learn more about Ernie Barnes. Wallace also includes places where you can see Ernie Barnes’s paintings. 

Louise

Trudy’s Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm By Sue Macy

Trudy’s Big Swim: How Gertrude Ederle Swam the English Channel and Took the World by Storm

By Sue Macy; Illustrated by Matt Collins

Holiday House. 2017

ISBN: 9780823436651

Grades 2-5

To write this review, I borrowed this book from my local public library.

Note: Louise is soldiering on while Cathy is on Sabbatical. She will return February, 2018.

On a beach in France, at 7:09 on the morning of August, 1926, twenty-year-old Gertrude Ederle waded into the surf. Her goal? To be the first woman to swim the English Channel.  Already an accomplished swimmer, a New York Times headline called Trudy, “the greatest free style swimmer of her sex ever developed.”  With a distance of 21 miles, it would take the long-distance swimmer 14 hours; 39 minutes to set a world’s record. “Not only was Gertrude the first woman to complete the swim; she also beat the record of the fastest man by close to two hours.”

A shy person who became overwhelmed by her sudden fame, Ederle also suffered from hearing loss from a bout with measles as a child. She became totally deaf by age 22. Ederle died on November 30, 2003 at age 98.

Macy’s informational picture book recounts the challenges Ederle faced during the swim. The writing perfectly matches the luscious, full-page, color illustrations by Matt Collins. Rendered in Prismacolor pencils, Denril Vellum, Painter 12 and Adobe Photoshop, will definitely keep young readers riveted to the page.  

Back matter: sources and resources + source notes.

A very exciting reading experience for eyes and ears. Perfect to share in the classroom or snuggled up on a couch.

Interesting to note. Macy states in her author’s note that many books will say Trudy was born in 1906, that she was only 19 when she was English Channel.”  Actually, checking Ederle’s gravestone, Macy confirms Trudy's birth day was really October 23, 1905.  That means she was 20 when she set the world's record in 1926.