4. We are the Ship: the story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
4. We are the Ship: the story of Negro
League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship: the story of negro league baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.
This is a
nonfiction book about the rise of African American players in the world of baseball. It begins in the late 1800’s and tells the
stories of how African-Americans started out playing professional ball with white
players. After 1887, they were forced
out of the league. They began forming their
own professional leagues in the early 1900’s.
The story continues with the development of the Negro League in the 1920’s
and goes through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in
1947. These players were gifted athletes and they worked for determined
owners. They faced racial discrimination
in their own country. They experienced
international sportsmanship when playing in Cuba and Mexico. It shares the
experiences of the players and the hardships they faced but the love they had
for the game shines through.
This book has
beautiful oil paintings done by the author/illustrator. The artwork alone could be used in an art
lesson. The paintings add to the story
and make reading a non-fiction book more attractive to children. The author uses an “Everyman” player as his
narrator. It would be good to teach point
of view. It discusses conflict the
players experienced when facing segregation and discrimination, especially in
the South. The theme of racism is weaved
all through the story. It talks about how
the players were discriminated against in the United States, but when they
traveled to Cuba and Mexico, they were revered and treated with dignity and
respect.
I researched for
teaching resources and found this cute site of a storyboard about the book. It has storyboards on characters, vocabulary,
point of view, integrating text, and short answer to a prompt. I have included the link below.
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