A Great and True Baseball Story

Nelson, K. (2008)We are the Ship. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children

Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play for the Majors, but he certainly wasn’t the first to play baseball.  Baseball has always been the national pastime for all Americans.  Jackie first played for the Negro Leagues.  These leagues had a rich history full of players just as good as, and perhaps better, than any of the white players in the Major Leagues.  They played hard, worked hard, and pioneered new ways of playing the game that made it even more exciting. 

Though these men aren’t often remembered, this book does well in paying tribute to them, keeping their memory alive in story and painting.  The author narrates this book as the voice of the collective baseball players, and it brings more meaning to the story.  It has a forward by Hank Aaron, a widely known Major Leaguer, but a lesser known Negro Leaguer.