NCW Libraries

A picture book biography of African-American baseball player Hank Aaron.

"In 1950, Kathryn Johnston wanted to play Little League, but an unwritten rule kept girls from trying out. So she cut off her hair and tried out as a boy under the nickname "Tubby." She made the team--and inspired future generations. An inspiring and suspenseful story about what it means to want to do something so badly you're willing to break the rules--and how, sometimes, breaking the rules can lead to change"-- ""The true story of Kathryn "Tubby"...

"A picture book biography about Lizzie Murphy, the first woman to play in a major league exhibition game and the first person to play on both the New England and American leagues' all-star teams"--

All William Ellsworth Hoy wanted to do was play baseball. After losing out on a spot on the local deaf team, William practiced even harder—eventually earning a position on a professional team. But, his struggle was far from over. In addition to the prejudice Hoy faced, he could not hear the umpires' calls. One day he asked the umpire to use hand signals: strike, ball, out. That day he not only got on base, but also changed the way the game was played...

Describes the life and accomplishments of the first African American baseball player in the major leagues in modern times.

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, played it, he coached it. But he didn't love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy-five years, baseball teams have used Lena's magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game.

When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers he became the fir st African American to play on a white Major League Baseball team. Read about how Robinson changed the face of baseball when he broke the color barrier and opened the door for the non-white players that followed.

Presents an illustrated biography of the man who broke baseball's color barrier and changed the way Americans viewed equality in sports. "Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. He could run, leap, and throw better than any other kid around. But he lived at a time when the rules weren't fair to African Americans: Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie...