Customer Reviews

Teammates

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4 star:		(1)
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This book is a true story that vividly describes the era of baseball and the scoial climate of race relations in the early 1940's. The Brooklyn Dodgers were the first Major Leauge Baseball team to hire an African American. Branch Rickey of the Dodgers was looking for "a man strong enough not to fight back". Jackie Robinson was of course that man and it was known as the "Great Experiment". It was tough for Jackie who ws not well recieived by many whites, including his teammates. One teammate was different, he knew he should always do what is right even if everyone around him including family or friends felt differently, that man was Pewee Reese. This book looks at how racism affected many aspects of society and how the strength of one indidual can change many attitudes. There is a variety of mediums used for the illustrations that only enhance the book.

"Teammates" tells the story of one of the more moving moments in the history of baseball that occurred during the 1947 season when the Brooklyn Dodgers traveled to Crosley Field in Cincinnati to play the Reds. Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in the major leagues, was playing first base and being the target of hostility and abuse from the fans. At shortstop was Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, who born in the South, but who had refused to join other Southerners on the team in signing a petition to kick Jackie off the team. That day in Cincinnati, Reese did something that remains one of the bright moments of that historic season and which deserves to be more than a minor footnote in baseball history.

"Teammates" is written by Peter Golenbock, who heard the story of what happened that day from Rex Barney, who pitched for the Dodgers that day. Usually when the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the "color line" in baseball, the other key person in the story is Branch Rickey, the Dodger general manager. But Rickey could only support Robinson from the front office and not on the field, where it was Pee Wee Reese who decided to do something about that. Consequently, it is Reese who emerges as the hero of this particular story. Certainly it is safe to assume that anyone who reads this book knows something about Jackie Robinson; Golenbock talks about how Rickey needed somebody special to be the first, but does not get into the reasons why Robinson was that man (e.g., All-American football star at U.C.L.A., Army officer). But clearly "Teammates" is not intended to be the first book a youngster reads about the story of Jackie Robinson. Paul Bacon, as he did for the exquisite "Susanna of the Alamo," does both the design and illustration for this volume, combining historic photographs and items with his own watercolor paintings to tell the story.

Teammates

Teammates is about 2 men named
Pees wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Both of them were baseball players on the same
Team called the dogers. Pee wee
Reese was white and Jackie rob-
Inson was black. They were both
Friends and helped each other out. The players on their team
Came mostly from the south, men
Had been taught to avoid black
People since childhood. They moved to another table
Whenever Jackie sat down next
To them. Many opposing players
Were cruel to Jackie, calling him mean names from their
Dugouts. A few tried to hurt
Him with their spiked shoes.
It was bad for Jackie. Pitchers
Aimed for his head, and he
Received threats on his life,
Both from individuals and from
Oramizations like the Ku Klux
Klan. Jackie avoided all of it,
And made the team. Jackie and
Pee wee became really great
Friends and baseball legends.

A simple telling of how Jackie Robinson came to play in the major leagues, this book portrays the prejudice he faced in a basic way that children can understand. And it shines a bright light on a quiet moment: PeeWee Reese's brave public declaration of solidarity with his teammate. This book has been my son's favorite for the past two years, since he was five.

Peter Golenbock (Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers) has written a simple but eloquent children's retelling of the story of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese.

Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play modern Major League baseball. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, in the face of incredible opposition and violent resistance.

Pee Wee Reese, the Captain of the Dodgers, was a Southerner. Although asked to sign a petition barring Jackie Robinson from the team, Pee Wee Reese refused to sign. Pee Wee Reese, who was greatly respected throughout the sport of baseball, thus put an end to any talk of petitions and player strikes.

Jackie Robinson was the target of viciously aimed pitches. He was spiked by opposing players. His life was threatened by racist fans. He was verbally abused in the worst way by fans and players.

Everyone remembers the central incident of TEAMMATES, though there is disagreement as to where it happened. On this particular day, the verbal abuse of Jackie Robinson had reached a fearsome level. Pee Wee Reese stepped from the dugout. He approached Jackie Robinson and put his arm around him. The crowd fell silent.

This simple gesture is remembered as one of the finest moments not only in baseball but in American history, and has been immortalized by a statue which stands in Brooklyn today.

Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson became more than teammates. They became friends.

Peter Golenbock's well-written tale is easy for children to understand, and will help them develop sensitivity, empathy, tolerance, and a sense of equality with others who may (or may not) be different than themselves.

This book is AN ESSENTIAL READ for children of all ages.

This book teaches you alot about how blacks were treated back in the day. When Jackie Robinsion was signed to the Dodgers the fans and players treated him really badly. People threw stuff at him. Then a young teammate stood up for him and saved him from being ban from the team. So you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

Have you ever been bullied? Or called names? Have others ever threatened to hurt you? If so, you have something in common with Jackie Robinson, the famous baseball player. However, Jackie probably had it a lot worse!
Jackie Robinson was a black baseball player. Many years ago, people were not very accepting of the idea of black baseball players.
There were two different baseball leagues when the story takes place (in the 1930's). The league for black players was called the Negro league. This league was where Jackie played. It wasn't fair for black players. The players couldn't stay in hotels or restaurants. They slept in their cars and didn't make much money.
Meanwhile, the players in the major leagues were all white. These players made tons of cash and got to eat at the fanciest restaurants and stay at the best hotels.
The general manager of one of the white teams, Branch Rickey, wanted the best baseball players possible. He didn't care what color their skin was. (He probably wouldn't have cared if it was orange, or purple with pink polka dots!)
Branch wanted someone from the Negro leagues. However, he couldn't just pick a good baseball player. He knew that this person would have to be strong enough to ignore taunts and threats. Branch knew that a lot of fans wouldn't like the idea of a black player at first. He picked Jackie Robinson as that special player.
One of the other important people in the book is called "Pee Wee" Reese, who is one of Jackie's teammates. You'll have to read the book to learn more about him. He is important to the ending, and I don't want to give it away. Will Jackie be able to handle all of the shenanigans and mean insults directed at him? Read the book to find out!
I would rate this book 5 stars. I think it's an entertaining story, and a really important one. It teaches people that you shouldn't judge someone by their skin color because that is not important. What's important is what kind of person they are. I think you will LOVE this book!

Sorry but this is not the book I thought it was. But, I loved it anyway. A fellow ball player had recommended it to me but aparently he had the wrong title. But I still liked this book. Thanks, Mel c

America is a great country - but for a long time, it did a whole lot of really awful things....like segregation. This book explains the breaking of the color barrier in Major League Baseball in a clear and compassionate way. I highly recommend it for all elementary school libraries.

When should parents talk to their children about racial prejudice? Do kids even recognize differences in skin color or do they learn about that from the big people in their lives? What are you doing to prepare our next generation for being more tolerant and accepting of each other? This book would be an excellent place to start! Last year for black history month, as an elementary school principal in Milwaukee County I read this book to every one of my classes. It prompted a lot of interesting and poignant discussion. If you have children in your life, you will definitely want to add this book to your collection for them. Teach them tolerance now and instill the character they will need to succeed tomorrow.