Story of the Negro Leagues

February 1, 2013
Grades 4-7 Leading off dramatically with the final two innings of the 1935 East-West All-Star Game, this slender volume offers a brief but informative introduction to the history of Negro League baseball. The leagues began in 1920 and their glory days extended over the next three decades, until Major League Baseball began to siphon off legendary players and up-and-coming stars. Smolka discusses the creation of the Negro Leagues, introduces the outstanding players, and describes the difficulties faced by teams traveling through the segregated South. The most memorable section of the book explains what it meant to black Americans, especially those whose voting rights were blocked by poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation, to cast their votes for players in the annual East-West All-Star Game. For the 1939 game alone, 17 million ballots were cast. The book's attractive design features wide-spaced lines of text, restrained use of color, and archival photos of individual players and teams. Make room for this volume from the Negro Baseball Leagues series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2013
Despite occasional photo caption inaccuracies, this series is a worthy addition to any baseball collection. Who wouldn't admire players such as "Pop" Lloyd, who was hit by a foul ball in his left eye, hit in the right eye four innings later, and showed up to play the following day? Frequent quotations and plentiful archival photographs enliven this fascinating period in sports history. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)