1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nelson, Kadir. 2008. WE ARE THE SHIP. Ill. by Kadir Nelson.New York, NY. Jump At The Sun/Hyperion Books For Children. ISBN: 9780786808238
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Nelson tells the story of the Negro Baseball League in his award winning book titled by a quote from the founder of the League, Rube Foster, “We are the ship: all else the sea.” No quote holds truer than this one when reading the story about talented athletes and the owners of the teams.
From the beginnings of the League in the 1920’s this historical fiction book takes the reader from its early roots based in discrimination as blacks were not allowed to play on white baseball teams. Through determination a league was formed. Even though they were underpaid, had to deal with segregation and racism and play in poor conditions as their white counterparts it is obvious that they played for the love of the game. The league came to an end in the late 40’s when Jackie Robinson, breaking the color barrier, began playing in the majors. The need for separate leagues came to an end.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The way Nelson’s tells this story off America’s past history gives the reader the feeling that they are there, in the time and place. Sitting on bleachers listening to the sounds of the crowd cheering and seeing the players play ball. The back of the book contains a wealth of information for those interested in “just the facts”. Names of the Negro League players who made it into the majors and into the National Baseball Hall of Fame are included along with an index, bibliography and Nelson’s source notes are a wealth of information for anyone wanting to know more about the Negro League.
Told in first person, conversational tone of “any player,” gives the ability to convey the humor, the game and the era the league existed. The book is divided into nine chapters appropriately called innings and contains a gate fold that when opened reveals the players from the First Negro World Series and when closed, depicts a ticket to that game.
I find the real story is told through Nelson’s amazing full page and double page illustrations. His oil paintings bring you right into the time period and the feel for the game. In order to create accurate paintings Nelson served as his own model, daunting uniforms from the time period and photographing himself. Nelson was able to capture, so perfectly, the depiction of life as a baseball player during the run of the league. His paintings used in the book, depict the athleticism of the members. Over sized hands, long bodies and muscle allows the observer to know just how athletic these players were. Without Nelson’s writing and illustrations this part of American history could be lost and greats of the game forgotten. It is an exciting read that is definitely a homerun find for me!
4. REVIEWS/AWARDS
Sibert Medal
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award
LIBRARY SCHOOL JOURNAL review: “Social studies teachers and baseball fans of all ages will covet this delightful winner of the 2009 Coretta Scott King author award and illustrator Honor award.”—Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK
BOOKLIST review: “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.” --Ian Chipman
5. CONNECTIONS
Link to the book/ author website
http://www.wearetheship.com/
Link to the Negro League Baseball Museum
http://www.nlbm.com/
Other Baseball Titles:
ONE –HANDED CATCH by M.J. Auch
HONUS AND ME by Dan Dutman
ALL THE WAY HOME by Patrica Reilly Giff
SHOELESS JOE by Phil Bildner
HOME RUN by Robert Burleigh
THE LUCKIEST MAN: LOU GEHRIG by David Adler
A SEASON OF COMEBACKS by Kathy Mackel
THE YEAR OF THE BOAR AND JACKIE ROBINSON by Bette Bao Lord
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