Play Ball, Jackie!


Book Description

On April 15, 1947, Matt Romano and his father watch the Brooklyn Dodgers season-opener, during which Jackie Robinson, a twenty-eight-year-old rookie, breaks the "color line" that had kept black men out of Major League baseball. Includes facts about Jackie Robinson's life and career.




Jackie Robinson Plays Ball


Book Description

The life and career of the courageous man who was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.




I am Jackie Robinson


Book Description

"We can all be heroes" is the message entertainingly told in this New York Times Bestselling picture-book biography series, with this title focusing on groundbreaking baseball player, Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. But he lived at a time before the Civil Rights Movement, when the rules weren't fair to African Americans. Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became the first Black player in Major League Baseball, and his bravery changed American history and led the way to equality in all sports in America. This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book are: • A timeline of key events in the hero’s history • Photos that bring the story more fully to life • Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable • Childhood moments that influenced the hero • Facts that make great conversation-starters • A virtue this person embodies: Jackie Robinson's bravery led him to make his mark in baseball history. You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!




Jackie Robinson


Book Description

A brief biography of the man who was the first African American baseball player on a major league team, as well as the first African American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.




Baseball's Great Experiment


Book Description

Offers a history of African American exclusion from baseball, and assesses the changing racial attitudes that led up to Jackie Robinson's acceptance by the Brooklyn Dodgers.




Jackie Robinson and the Story of All Black Baseball


Book Description

Illus. in full color with black-and-white photos. "Covers not only the story of Robinson's prowess and his problems as the first black man to play in the major leagues, but also the story of the rise and fall of black baseball and some of its star players and managers. Nicely geared by vocabulary, sentence length, and print size to the primary grades audience."--Bulletin, Center for Children's Books.




Dad, Jackie, and Me


Book Description

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award A young boy and his deaf father bond over baseball as they root for Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers to win the pennant. It was Opening Day, 1947. And every kid in Brooklyn knew this was our year. The Dodgers were going to go all the way! In the summer of 1947, a highly charged baseball season is underway. The new first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, is the first Black player in Major League Baseball--- and it looks like the team might have what it takes to get to the World Series. A young boy listens eagerly to the games on the radio, using sign language to tell his deaf father about every new development. Getting into the spirit, his father begins to keep a scrapbook, clipping newspaper articles and photos about Jackie. One day, the father has big news: they're going to Ebbets field to watch Jackie play in person! As the team draws closer to victory, the boy and his dad become more and more excited, going to every game they can— and becoming closer themselves through their shared love of the game. Inspired by memories of watching baseball with his own deaf father, Myron Uhlberg's story touches on the strength and determination needed to overcome prejudice, and the joy of a shared victory. Colin Bootman's realistic watercolor illustrations bring 1940s Brooklyn to life, alternating between the drama of Jackie Robinson's games and tender moments a father and son share. In a moving Author’s Note, Uhlberg explains why his father identified with Robinson and how both men worked to overcome thoughtless prejudice and to prove themselves every day of their lives. A perfect gift for baseball lovers, readers with deaf family members, and devoted Brooklynites, wherever they may live. “...an affecting tribute to Robinson, to a dedicated son and to a thoughtful, deep-feeling father. And, of course, to baseball.”—Publishers Weekly




I Never Had It Made


Book Description

The New York Times–bestselling autobiography of Jackie Robinson, barrier-breaking Brooklyn Dodger and civil rights legend: “An American classic.” —Entertainment Weekly Before Barry Bonds, before Reggie Jackson, before Hank Aaron, baseball's stars had one undeniable trait in common: they were all white. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke that barrier, striking a crucial blow for racial equality and changing the world of sports forever. I Never Had It Made is Robinson's own candid, hard-hitting account of what it took to become the first black man in history to play in the major leagues. I Never Had It Made recalls Robinson’s early years and influences: his time at UCLA, where he became the school’s first four-letter athlete; his army stint during World War II, when he challenged Jim Crow laws and narrowly escaped court martial; his years of frustration, on and off the field, with the Negro Leagues; and finally that fateful day when Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers proposed what became known as the “Noble Experiment”—Robinson would step up to bat to integrate and revolutionize baseball. More than a sports story, I Never Had It Made also reveals the highs and lows of Robinson’s life after baseball. He recounts his political aspirations and civil rights activism; his friendships with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, William Buckley, Jr., and Nelson Rockefeller; and his troubled relationship with his son, Jackie, Jr. It endures as an inspiring story of a man whose heroism extended well beyond the playing field. “Affecting and candid . . . I Never Had It Made offers compelling testimony about the realities of being Black in America from an author who long ago became more a monument than a man, and his memoir is an illuminating meditation on racism not only in the national pastime but in the nation itself.” —The New York Times “A disturbing and enlightening self-portrait by one of America’s genuine heroes.” —Publishers Weekly “An important book that should be widely read.” —The New York Times Book Review




Havana Hardball


Book Description

In February 1947, the most memorable season in the history of the Cuban League finished with a dramatic series win by Almendares against its rival, Habana. As the celebration spread through the streets of Havana and across Cuba, the Brooklyn Dodgers were beginning spring training on the island. One of the Dodgers' minor league players was Jackie Robinson. He was on the verge of making his major-league debut in the United States, an event that would fundamentally change sports--and America. To avoid harassment from the white crowds in Florida during this critical preseason, the Dodgers relocated their spring training to Cuba, where black and white teammates had played side by side since 1900. It was also during this time that Major League Baseball was trying its hardest to bring the "outlaw" Cuban League under the control of organized baseball. As the Cubans fought to stay independent, Robinson worked to earn a roster spot on the Dodgers in the face of discrimination from his future teammates. Havana Hardball captures the excitement of the Cuban League's greatest pennant race and the anticipation of the looming challenge to MLB's color barrier. Illuminating one of the sport's most pivotal seasons, veteran journalist César Brioso brings together a rich mix of worlds as the heyday of Latino baseball converged with one of the most socially meaningful events in U.S. history.




Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America


Book Description

The bestselling classic biography of Jackie Robinson, America's legendary baseball player and civil rights activist, told from the unique perspective of an insider: his only daughter. Sharon Robinson shares memories of her famous father in this warm loving biography of the man who broke the color barrier in baseball -- and taught his children that the only measure of life is the impact you have on others lives'. Promises to Keep is the story of Jackie Robinson's hard-won victories in baseball, business, politics, and civil rights. It looks at the inspiring effect the legendary Brooklyn Dodger had on his family, his community ... his country. Told from the unique perspective of Robinson's only daughter, this intimate and uplifting book includes photos from the Robinson family archives and family letters never published before. Jackie Robinson is one our great national heroes. Promises to Keep reminds us what made him a champion -- on and off the field!