We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League BaseballSummary: "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."
Strengths: The combination of beautiful, realistic pictures and interesting, informative text, this book provides an excellent introduction to a topic that is not well-known. The statement on the cover describing the pictures as "oil paintings- breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game." The word breathtaking really describes these illustrations full of action and emotion. I like that the book takes you through the story of these athletes and includes an index. I also like that the chapter headings are titled innings and that a quote is written under each chapter heading. The text is fast-paced and captivates the reader.
Concerns: This book is rather lengthy, but if the reader is interested in the topic, the fast-paced text and illustrations will allow him or her to stay interested.
Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book can be used as a resource for students interested in baseball, as well as an excellent book for investigating segregation. Students can select chapters to read, look at the pictures, or look in the index for specific information. Ages 8 and up would enjoy reading this book.
I read and commented about this book on a blog with a mock Coretta Scott King Award.
Teachers and students will like the Jackie Robinson coloring page and Negro League Baseball word search under the "The Old Ball Game" post at historyforchildren.blogspot.com
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