Book Cover
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Book Summary
This nonfiction book on the story of Negro League baseball from when it started in the 1920s through the end of it when Jackie Robinson went to the major league in 1947 is an informational book on the daily life of the players in the league and the way they played the games. This book does not just tell the history and the come-and-go of the Negro League baseball. It also tells of racial discrimination and triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It tells the story of many determined baseball players of color who overcame segregation, hatred, hardship, and unfair pay to just play baseball. It is a book about what our nation went though between the 1920s and 1940s and great sportsmanship.
Reference
Nelson, Kadir. (2008). We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.
Librarian's Corner
The readers will understand what segregation did to a group of dedicated African American baseball players and lovers. These baseball players were treated differently because of their skin color when they played just as well as the players in the major league, but they kept on playing even when they didn't get much pay and had to suffer through many terrible conditions for the games. This book is a wonderful book to be on a PE teacher's or a coach's shelf because this book shows what great athletes are and mean. I've always enjoyed reading nonfiction and historical stories. This book has given me another opportunity to appreciate great athletes and courageous people who believed in themselves and had a dream.
Reviews
From Booklist
Starred Review* Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson's history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut. The narrative showcases the pride and comradery of the Negro Leagues, celebrates triumphing on one's own terms and embracing adversity, even as it clearly shows the "us" and "them" mentality bred by segregation. If the story is the pitch, though, it's the artwork that blasts the book into the stands. Nelson often works from a straight-on vantage point, as if the players took time out of the action to peer at the viewer from history, eyes leveled and challenging, before turning back to the field of play. With enormous blue skies and jam-packed grandstands backing them, these players look like the giants they are. The stories and artwork are a tribute to the spirit of the Negro Leaguers, who were much more than also-rans and deserve a more prominent place on baseball's history shelves. For students and fans (and those even older than the suggested grade level), this is the book to accomplish just that. Grades 5-8
Chipman, Ian. (February 2008). [Review for the book We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball by Kadir Nelson.] Booklist, 104(11).
From Kirkus
Nelson continues to top himself with each new book. Here, working solo for the first time, he pays tribute to the hardy African-American players of baseball's first century with a reminiscence written in a collective voice "But you know something? We had many Josh Gibsons in the Negro Leagues. We had many Satchel Paiges. But you never heard about them" matched to a generous set of full-page painted portraits and stadium views. Generally viewed from low angles, the players seem to tower monumentally, all dark-skinned game faces glowering up from the page and big, gracefully expressive hands dangling from powerful arms. Arranging his narrative into historical "Innings," the author closes with lists of Negro Leaguers who played in the Majors, and who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, plus a detailed working note. Along with being absolutely riveted by the art, readers will come away with a good picture of the Negro Leaguers' distinctive style of play, as well as an idea of how their excellence challenged the racial attitudes of both their sport and their times. (bibliography, index) 2008, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 96p, $18.99. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 10 to 13. Starred Review. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review. (December 2007). [Review for the book We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball by Kadir Nelson]. Kirkus Review, 75(23).
Value to the Library
Elementary School Library
This book can be used as one of the books to display for the Black History Month in February. Not only does this book talk about segregation, it also shows sportsmanship and determination of these African American baseball players who's goal was to play baseball.
Reference
Nelson, Kadir. (2008). We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.
Librarian's Corner
The readers will understand what segregation did to a group of dedicated African American baseball players and lovers. These baseball players were treated differently because of their skin color when they played just as well as the players in the major league, but they kept on playing even when they didn't get much pay and had to suffer through many terrible conditions for the games. This book is a wonderful book to be on a PE teacher's or a coach's shelf because this book shows what great athletes are and mean. I've always enjoyed reading nonfiction and historical stories. This book has given me another opportunity to appreciate great athletes and courageous people who believed in themselves and had a dream.
Reviews
From Booklist
Starred Review* Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson's history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut. The narrative showcases the pride and comradery of the Negro Leagues, celebrates triumphing on one's own terms and embracing adversity, even as it clearly shows the "us" and "them" mentality bred by segregation. If the story is the pitch, though, it's the artwork that blasts the book into the stands. Nelson often works from a straight-on vantage point, as if the players took time out of the action to peer at the viewer from history, eyes leveled and challenging, before turning back to the field of play. With enormous blue skies and jam-packed grandstands backing them, these players look like the giants they are. The stories and artwork are a tribute to the spirit of the Negro Leaguers, who were much more than also-rans and deserve a more prominent place on baseball's history shelves. For students and fans (and those even older than the suggested grade level), this is the book to accomplish just that. Grades 5-8
Chipman, Ian. (February 2008). [Review for the book We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball by Kadir Nelson.] Booklist, 104(11).
From Kirkus
Nelson continues to top himself with each new book. Here, working solo for the first time, he pays tribute to the hardy African-American players of baseball's first century with a reminiscence written in a collective voice "But you know something? We had many Josh Gibsons in the Negro Leagues. We had many Satchel Paiges. But you never heard about them" matched to a generous set of full-page painted portraits and stadium views. Generally viewed from low angles, the players seem to tower monumentally, all dark-skinned game faces glowering up from the page and big, gracefully expressive hands dangling from powerful arms. Arranging his narrative into historical "Innings," the author closes with lists of Negro Leaguers who played in the Majors, and who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, plus a detailed working note. Along with being absolutely riveted by the art, readers will come away with a good picture of the Negro Leaguers' distinctive style of play, as well as an idea of how their excellence challenged the racial attitudes of both their sport and their times. (bibliography, index) 2008, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 96p, $18.99. Category: Nonfiction. Ages 10 to 13. Starred Review. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review. (December 2007). [Review for the book We are the ship: The story of negro league baseball by Kadir Nelson]. Kirkus Review, 75(23).
Value to the Library
Elementary School Library
This book can be used as one of the books to display for the Black History Month in February. Not only does this book talk about segregation, it also shows sportsmanship and determination of these African American baseball players who's goal was to play baseball.
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