A Negro League Scrapbook [Hardcover]

Carole Boston Weatherford (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–An engaging overview, richly augmented by archival photographs. Weatherford's text covers a great deal of ground, with a summation of the history of the Negro Leagues and sections on the pitchers, hitters, utility men, various teams, and so forth. Each topic is briefly covered on a spread of text with black-and-white photos and full-color realia designed to look like a scrapbook. Topics are introduced with a few lines of verse. Beginning with a thoughtful foreword by Buck O'Neil, the book is especially successful in conveying the significance of the Negro Leagues to the black community, and in detailing the realities of segregation. The stark scenes of segregated drinking fountains and signs advertising "Cabins for Colored" are powerful and poignant. The overall tone is upbeat, focusing on the accomplishments of players such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, James "Cool Papa" Bell, and the three women who joined the league in the 1950s. This title succeeds as a thoughtful introduction, capturing both the significance of the Negro Leagues and the accomplishments of its great players. Fans and report writers will also want to check out Patricia C. and Frederick L. McKissack's Black Diamond (Scholastic, 1994), Robert Gardner and Dennis Shortelle's The Forgotten Players (Walker, 1993), and Michael L. Cooper's Playing America's Game (Penguin, 1993).–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Buck O'Neil, Chairman of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and former player and manager, leads off with a sprightly introduction to pages of sepia, black-and-white, and color photographs and images laid out in this attractive scrapbook presentation. Each spread begins with a rhyming, almost rap-style couplet, which is effective if occasionally clunky. Set against backgrounds that range from plain matte white to textured and colored papers, short running text, sidebars, quotes, and backgrounds survey the Negro Leagues from 1887, when the owners of major league ball agreed not to hire any more black players, to Jackie Robinson's signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Hall of Famers who came from the Negro Leagues and the first blacks on major league teams are just two of the topics covered in the many informational boxes. A lively presentation; give it credit for at least a triple. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590780914
• ISBN-13: 978-1590780916
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the author, May 19, 2005

By 

Carole B. Weatherford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Negro League Scrapbook (Hardcover)

In 1998, my family visited the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. It was an unforgettable experience. To create this book, I paired a poetic tribute to the Negro Leagues with statistics, anecdotes, player profiles, and historic images of baseball players, teams and memorabilia. The result is a virtual museum of the Negro League's heyday during the Jim Crow era. Back then, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens, but these black ball players were second to none. And their game was first class. The most rewarding part of researching this project was talking with baseball legend Buck O'Neil, who graciously provided the book's foreword. The book appeals to baseball fans and history buffs of all ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Share This Important Past With Someone Today, March 2, 2007

By 

Bicycle Day - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Negro League Scrapbook (Hardcover)

With the saturation of sports coverage today, great teams & players are as disposable as the paper boxes for a fast-food meal. That is what makes A Negro League Scrapbook so important for young people.

With a forward by the great Buck O'Neil, the book takes the reader through the pre-NLB era to 1947, when Jackie Robinson donned the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and desegregated Major League Baseball. The rich history of NLB includes no discrimination in the stands, on the field or in the front offices.

Through the use of archival photographs - in a layout like a family album - and creative, short cutlines/overviews, the book can be a fun study tool for family members. It is important that our future leaders in all walks of life learn about the past today to forge ahead with a clear understanding of the journey to tomorrow.

Young people will not learn about NLB - or the pre-NLB era - in most history classes. And the names Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson and - importantly - Buck O'Neil need to be understood in an overall historical sense as much as appreciating their achievements on the diamond.

Carole Boston Weatherford has touched all the bases - and home plate - with a book that adults and children can share and learn from for many years.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich History!, May 1, 2008

By 

Angie B. "Angie B." (Beaumont, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Negro League Scrapbook (Hardcover)

"A Negro League Scrapbook" paired with Sharon Robinson's "Safe at Home" would make a great gift for boys ages 10 - 16. Add a baseball glove and other gear and you are sure to score a home run with your loved one!
The history in "Scrapbook" should be taught to our boys at school or in church -- please don't let this history die! "Safe at Home" has great insight into the thought processes of boys dealing with death, moving, peer pressure, bullies, teamwork, hard work, and perseverance. This would also be a great gift for a new teacher looking for high quality history and / or sports books. Enjoy!