"We are the ship; all else the sea."-- Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League
Author/Illustrator: Kadir Nelson; Foreword by Hank Aaron
Plot Summary: The history of the Negro baseball league is chronicled through players and teams in nine plus extra innings(chapters) of beautifully illustrated text. In addition to capturing the portrait of each player, Nelson's illustrations also depict the style of the uniforms, "old-fashioned" baseball gloves, shoes, catcher's gear and stadiums.
Comments: My 12 year old son, Zak, loved this book. Although he loves any book about baseball, he does not not typically like non-fiction books. He read this cover and to cover and thought the illustrations were "cool." Zak had a (fabulous) social studies teacher last year who became interested in history through his love of baseball as a child. Although baseball is a sport, it is an integral part of our nation's history.
Extensions:
1. Create a timeline (using the Timeliner software program) using the events in this book. Graphically compare how the events parallel other events occurring aorund the world.
2. Assign Negro Leaguers in the National Baseball Hall of Fame for a research project. There is a list presented in the back of the book. They were learn about a more obscure part of American history while gaining valuable skills in research. Students may also discover that these men were in stark contract to today's famous athletes.
Themes/keywords: baseball, Negro league history, baseball history
Age/Reading Level: Interest level - 4th grade and up to adult; ATOS - 5.9; Lexile - 900
Although we have this in our library(K-3), I don't really think it would be interesting to a child younger than fourth grade. It has a lot of text and although the pictures are interesting, there are not that many of them relative to the amount of text. It gets in to a fairly high level of detail as well.
Standards:
ELA7RC1 The student reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books or
book equivalents (approximately 1,000,000 words) per year from a variety of subject disciplines. The student reads both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse, including technical texts related to various
subject areas.
ELA7W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing.
ELA8RC1 The student reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books
or book equivalents (approximately 1,000,000 words) per year from a variety
of subject disciplines. The student reads both informational and fictional texts
in a variety of genres and modes of discourse, including technical texts related
to various subject areas.
ELA8W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing. The
student
a. Plans and conducts multiple-step information searches by using computer networks
and modems.
b. Achieves an effective balance between researched information and original ideas.
c. Avoids plagiarism.
Publisher's Info: Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, New York. 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0-7868-0832-8
ISBN-10: 0-7868-0832-2
Awards/Review Sources:
Wilson's Children 01/01/09 | School Library Journal starred 01/01/08 |
| Booklist starred 02/01/08 | Library Media Connection starred 02/01/08 |
| Horn Book starred 05/01/08 | Coretta Scott King Award/Honor 01/26/09 |
| Publishers Weekly starred 01/07/08 | Kirkus Review starred 12/01/07 |
Genre/Dewey: Nonfiction; 796.357
Websites:
http://www.wearetheship.com/
A video showing how the book was made.
From the "Today Show" - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/29180147#29180147 -
What an interesting guy
The author's website
Notes for Booktalk: Emphasize why this book is not just about baseball; introduce the author as an artist; use the book to engage student athletes who may or may not be interested in schoolwork
Vocabulary:
Comments