Teammates

by Peter Golenbock, Paul Bacon (Illustrator)

Overview

This is the moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a Major League baseball team when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s, and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, Pee Wee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate. Illustrated with a blend of historic photographs and eloquent watercolors by Paul Bacon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152842864
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	03/08/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	39,463
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.37(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Peter Golenbock is a well-known writer of books about sports, espcecially baseball. He lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Paul Bacon also illustrated Susanna of the Alamo. He lives in Clintondale, New York.

Editorial Reviews

In the 1940s segregation and racial discrimination were rampant, and in order to play professional baseball, blacks had to form their own league. Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, thought this was unfair, and signed Jackie Robinson to be the first black man in the all-white Majors. Robinson was severely taunted and even suffered threats to his life. During one such ugly moment, one of his teammates-the legendary Pee Wee Reese-had courage enough to defend him.

Barnes & Noble Staff

Enhanced by an unusual combination of archival photographs and vigorous illustrations, this thoughtful, noteworthy book chronicles Jackie Robinson's early days with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Ages 6-9. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 6-- Golenbock has taken a single moment of baseball history, set it in its social context, and created a simple and moving tribute to courage and brotherhood. While other biographies of Robinson, and Robinson himself in I Never Had It Made (Putnam, 1972; o.p.), set the incident in Boston, Golenbock places it in Cincinnati, near Reese's Kentucky home. The event occurred during Jackie Robinson's first season with the Dodgers. Listening to the hatred that spilled out of the stands, Pee Wee Reese left his position at shortstop, walked over to Robinson at first base, put his around Robinson's shoulder, chatted for a few moments, and then returned to his position. The crowd was stunned into silence. Bacon has illustrated the book with an effective blend of photographs and drawings. Golenbock briefly but clearly describes the background of Robinson's entry into the National League, as well as Reese's background as a southerner and as the player with the most to fear if Robinson were successful--both men were shortstops (although Robinson would ultimately play second base). There have been several recent books about Robinson for young readers, such as David Adler's Jackie Robinson: He Was the First (Holiday, 1989) and Jim O'Connor's Jackie Robinson and the Story of All-Black Baseball (Random, 1989), but none of them have the style or dramatic impact of Golenbock and Bacon's work. This is a wonderful and important story, beautifully presented, but the geographic confusion is disturbing. --Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA

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