Play Ball, Jackie!

Starred review from January 24, 2011
In 1947, a boy learns how his father got free tickets to the Opening Day game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves: Jackie Robinson is the Dodgers' new first baseman, and many fans are outraged. Matty's father also expresses his opinion: "I want to see the best players out there... I don't care what color they are." Some members of the stylized crowd wear "I'm for Jackie" buttons, while others raise their fists, heckling Robinson, who is drawn in resolute steel blues. Morse's dramatically grained, exaggerated artwork plays up the intensity of the era's racial tensions and the dynamism of the game, while Krensky adeptly moves between the action on Ebbets Field and Matty's conversations with his father. An intimate and powerful account of a historic day. Ages 7–10.

January 1, 2011

Matty and his father, avid Dodgers fans, are in the stands for the first game of the 1947 baseball season. It is also the first time in the modern era that a black player is part of a major league team—Jackie Robinson's debut. There are many black fans there to support him, as well as many white fans who resent his presence. Matty and his dad are of the opinion that everyone deserves a chance and are optimistic that Jackie will be the one to get their team to the World Series. Krensky creates a multilayered recounting of a seminal moment in the history of baseball and America. He incorporates background information while carefully and accurately describing the play-by-play details of that first game, and he also manages to capture the mood of the crowd—and, by extension, the nation. Morse's muscular, out-of-proportion illustrations focus readers' attention on facial and body language, emphasizing the strong emotions alluded to in the text. A worthy homage to a baseball legend. (author's note, photos, bibliography) (Picture book. 7-10) 

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March 1, 2011

Gr 2-5-This book offers a child's view of Jackie Robinson's first game as a Brooklyn Dodger on Major League Baseball's Opening Day April 15, 1947, a day former Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig referred to as "baseball's proudest moment." Matty attends the event with his father, who got the tickets free from a disgruntled colleague. As they watch, Matty's dad recalls that his father, an Italian-American immigrant, also faced prejudice. As the game goes on, the boy hears some people heckling Robinson but by the final inning, he proudly sports an "I'm for Jackie" button and declares, "I wouldn't have missed Jackie Robinson for anything." Morse's graphic illustrations capture the fans' excitement along with the on-field drama. Text and illustrations add historical context: as the boy muses that "Times seemed to be changing," the illustrations depict African-American World War II soldiers, and a newspaper headline refers to the Tuskegee Airmen. An author's note offers an overview of Robinson's life and career. This well-crafted book deserves a place on the growing shelf of books designed to introduce readers to Robinson, including Sharon Robinson's Jackie's Gift (Viking, 2010) and Testing the Ice (Scholastic, 2009) and Myron Uhlberg's Dad, Jackie, and Me (Peachtree, 2005).-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

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