Baseball Dreams

 

Title: Henry Aaron's Dream

Author and Illustrator: Matt Tavares

Publishing Company: Candlewick Press

Copyright Date: 2010

Pages: 40

Genre/Category: Nonfictional

I chose this book because this famous baseball player is from the state of Alabama. Henry Aaron was a boy who had big dreams of playing in the league. His father always told him "Ain't no colored ballplayers." But he still held on to his dream. During the 1940s it was against the law for white and black kids to play together. When Henry was twelve, the first baseball field was open, that had a sign that said BLACK ONLY. The following year, Jackie Robinson, paved the way as the first black baseball player.  Some years later, Henry joined the Mobile Black Bears, only playing home games because he was still in school. In 1952, he played for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro League, and he was promoted to the Class A team. During this time white fans called him "nigger", sent him letters threatening to kill him, if he kept playing, and some quit going to the games (same as when Jackie Robinson started playing). But Henry was more determined to make his dream come true.  After several injuries with the starting lineup players, Henry made it to starting right field and batting leadoff; for three week he never left the starting lineup.  In 1954, Henry Aaron’s dream can true. He had made it to the major -league playing against his idol Jackie Robinson. The illustrations in the book are done on double-page spread in watercolor, ink, and pencil. On every page the author Tavares placed so much emphasis on the illustrations, it seemed as though the pictures were popping right of the book at me. At the end of the book there is an author's note and a summary of Aaron’s baseball career.

This book is recommended for third through sixth grade.  I would use this book, along with the Players in Pigtails, in a Venn diagram discussion.  It can be used as a part of Black History Month. I would use it to compare and contrast the Negro baseball league with the female baseball league in the 1940s. This book has won several awards Garden State Book Award nominee, South Carolina Children's Book Award Nominee, IRA Teacher's Choice Award, RealKiddoRead Award, Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Recommended), Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, CYBIL Award - Finalist, Smithsonian Notable Books for Children, Society of Illustrators' Original Art Show, Alabama Camellia Award: Grades 2-3-Nominee, and Booklist Top 10 Sports Books for Youth.