We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Written & Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson

Hyperion Books for Children ©2008

ISBN#: 9780786808328

In We Are the Ship, Kadir Nelson follows the history of baseball for African Americans. He cleverly labels his chapters as innings, starting from when baseball was invented, sometime in the mid-1800s, and going all the way to when baseball became integrated. This intriguing book is a social history presented as a photo essay. Kadir Nelson masterfully blends his story of Negro League Baseball with beautiful paintings of historical photographs. Nelson writes from the perspective of someone who is there experiencing life with these historical baseball players. “The Brooklyn Bushwicks used to freeze the balls before the game, took the life out of ‘em. When we hit ‘em, they wouldn’t go very far” (Nelson 57). He also uses a dialect in his writing that puts the reader in the story and makes the story more interesting to read. This book also includes acknowledgments, bibliography, filmography, endnotes, and an index making it easy for a reader to find information quickly.

This book could be used in many different mini-literature studies. A teacher could use it to model dialect or to represent the first person narrative style. Another way this book could be used is in a book study for a history class. The teacher could make groups and have each group read a different story about African Americans’ struggle for equal rights.

We Are the Ship was a Texas Bluebonnet Nominee for 2009-2010. It also won the 2009 Coretta Scott King Book Award.

Horn Book Magazine—“Imagine listening to baseball legends Willie Mays and Ernie Banks swapping stories about their Negro League days as they sit in the stands, munching on peanuts and watching Ken Griffey Jr. launch a curve ball into the stratosphere. That kind of easygoing, conversational storytelling is exactly what Kadir Nelson achieves in this pitch-perfect history of Negro League baseball” (Auger).

Booklist—“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”(Chipman).

Works Cited:

Auger, Tanya D. "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball." Horn Book Magazine 84.3 (2008): 338-339. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

Chipman, Ian. "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball." Booklist 104.11 (2008): 50. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

Guts: Our Digestive System

Guts: Our Digestive System

By: Seymour Simon

HarperCollins Publishers ©2005

ISBN#: 9780060546519

Seymour Simon’s Guts is a wonderful photo essay explaining the process of digestion. He explains the whole process in concise paragraphs matched with large, scientific pictures that are sure to catch reluctant readers’ attention. The text is simply displayed on alternating black and white pages which is a stark contrast to the colorful full-page photos. Simon does not dumb-down any of the content. He uses the scientific term for each concept and adds explanatory information to ensure understanding. Simon also references various diseases associated with different organs and the importance of a healthy diet.

This book is a great way to introduce the digestive system to a science class. It could also be a starting point for a class project on digestion. The teacher could read this book and then break the students into groups, each group taking a different organ.

Horn Book Magazine—“Simon takes advantage of children’s familiarity with their bodies as well as their misconceptions—gently confronting these ideas, then providing straightforward and remarkably clear explanations” (Ford).

Booklist—“In his signature style, accessible without being cute or condescending, he describes the complex facts and processes of the physiology, from the time food enters the mouth until all the various organs transform it into energy, nutrients, and waste” (Rochman).

Works Cited:

Ford, Danielle J. "Guts: Our Digestive System." Horn Book Magazine 81.4 (2005): 492. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

Rochman, Hazel. "Guts: Our Digestive System (Book)." Booklist 101.13 (2005): 1190. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth & John Wilkes Booth

Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth & John Wilkes Booth

By: James Cross Giblin

Clarion Books ©2005

ISBN#: 9780618096428

This informational book could fall into a few different categories. It is a biography of Edwin & John Wilkes Booth, but it is also a social history. James Cross Giblin offers his readers an unbiased look at the lives of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth and leaves the reader questioning the labels of good brother and bad brother. Giblin accurately describes the trials and adventures both Edwin and John Wilkes went through in their lives. He also tries to help the reader discover the thought process and feelings behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. There are many references to letters written by Edwin and John Wilkes. Giblin honestly tells readers when he could not find documentation of the brothers’ feelings. This book contains many historical photographs to help immerse the reader in the history. It also contains an index to help the reader check the sources Giblin references.

A history teacher could use this book to introduce the Booth brothers, then divide the class in half and have a debate about which brother was good and which was bad. For higher level students the teacher could have the students do more research to strengthen their debate. This book would also be useful in a mini-lesson on how to incorporate quotes in essays.

Horn Book Magazine—“Giblin’s bibliography and discussion of sources opens a wealth of avenues for further reading; period photographs put faces to the history” (B.C.).

Booklist—“With settings that range from Australia to Germany, from New York to San Francisco, each vividly reconstructed, Giblin’s book will engross readers until the very last footnote” (DeCandido).

Works Cited:

B., C. "Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth." Horn Book Magazine 81.3 (2005): 349. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

DeCandido, GraceAnne. "Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth (Book)." Booklist 101.17 (2005): 1586. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails

Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails

By: Betsy Franco

Illustrated by: Steve Jenkins

Margaret K. McElderry Books ©2008

ISBN 9781416903864

This is a poem picture book about shapes in nature, but it also offers the reader elementary knowledge about different creatures. For example:

“On diamondback snakes

and on copperhead snakes

you’ll recognize diamond and triangle shapes.

The snake rubs its nose on a branch or a rock,

then takes off its skin like a knee-high sock.”

It is cleverly written and the illustrations wonderfully enhance the meaning of the poetry. Betsy Franco does a wonderful job of creating a regular rhyme scheme with simple words that children will understand. She even pulls in a bit of concrete poetry by formatting her poems into the shapes of the animals. This picture book has a great rhythm that could be matched with music.

A teacher could have the students find other geometric shapes in nature. This poem picture book could also be a great introduction to a science unit on nature. This picture book could also be acted out with puppets or read by different groups representing the animals.

Booklist—“The perfect precursor to a science unit or a simple walk in the park” (McKulski).

Works Cited:

McKulski, Kristen. "Bees, Snails, and Peacock Tails: Patterns and Shapes . . . Naturally." Booklist 105.1 (2008): 96. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.