Module 12: Hank Aaron: Brave in every way

Book cover image:

Taken from Goodreads.com (Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)   

Genre:

The book, Hank Aaron: Brave in every way written by Peter Golenbock and illustrated by Paul Lee is a biography in picture book form.  Biographies fall in the broad genre of nonfiction. This book could also be classified as juvenile sports nonfiction. 

Book Summary: 

This picture book takes the reader through the life of Hank Aaron, a young African American boy, who dreamed of playing baseball in the major leagues before blacks were allowed to do so.  Hank grew up in the time of the Great Depression in Alabama with his parents and played baseball in the open field near his home. Hank daydreamed about baseball, even at school, while his mom had her own dreams of him attending college.  Hank’s father knew his son wanted to play professional baseball but he also knew that there were no colored players in the majors during that time. When Hank turned 13, the major leagues acquired their first black player, Jackie Robinson.  This gave him renewed hope that he could play and he actively pursued those dreams. Hank Aaron became a leading home run hitter and when he neared the record of Babe Ruth he started receiving hate mail.  Fortunately he never gave up and millions of others began cheering him on regardless of the color of his skin. 

APA Reference of Book: 

Golenbock, P., & Lee, P. (2001). Hank Aaron: Brave in every way. San Diego: Gulliver Books Harcourt, Inc.

Impressions:

Baseball season is upon us, and being a mom of three teenage boys and a wife to a sports loving husband, I have no choice but to love baseball.  My family believes opening day should be a national holiday, therefore I was excited to read a biography about one of baseball’s greatest players. This book is very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it to the very end.  I have watched my boys play sports since they were very young and I have watched my fair share of live professional games and I feel that the author fully captured the emotion that comes from watching a player achieve greatness.  When Hank hits his 715^th home run to set a record and rounds home plate with his mom waiting there to hug him I actually caught myself tearing up.  Hank fulfilled his dreams, despite a tremendous amount of adversity and his mom, along with the entire nation, were there to support him.  In addition to the story being well written, Paul Lee did a fantastic job of illustrating the story.  This book is intended for young readers, therefore the illustrations are just as important as the writing to convey the meaning and emotions of the story.  It is one thing to tell the story of an African American boy dreaming of playing baseball in a time were that was unacceptable, but it is another to actually see it.  The illustrations show Hank, a young black boy, coming up to bat with a white catcher, a white umpire, and a few pages later an entire stadium full of white people.  This does not have to be written into the narrative because the picture says it.  This book gets five stars from me!

Professional Review: 

Reviewed on August 1, 2001 by Holly T. Sneeringer, St. Mark School, Baltimore, MD in School Library Journal and posted online on Book Verdict 

Gr 1-3 This richly illustrated biography tells the story of the Hall of Famer by placing him in the proper historical context and attempting to humanize him. Aaron, a southern country boy, followed his dreams under the strict, but loving guidance of his parents. Despite his mother's wish that he attends college, he took a job on a professional team and rose quickly to the top as a home-run hitter. However, with racial tensions at an all-time high in the United States, his journey was not without problems. Hate mail and threats began to chip away at his hopes for success, until Aaron's adoring fans helped keep his dream alive. What Golenbock does well is capture the feel of 1960s' America, swelling with civil-rights tension. He deftly tells the athlete's story and proves that his subject certainly was "brave in every way." At times the narrative is a bit slow and the style is dry. Still, this baseball giant is brought down to earth as readers learn of his humble past and his personal struggles. Lee's strong, full-page acrylic illustrations in rich tones and textures work well and give the story depth and intensity.

APA Reference of Professional Review:

Media Source Book Verdict. (2001, August 1). Hank Aaron: Brave in every way. Retrieved April 15, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product-9951726.xml

Library Uses:

I personally feel that picture book biographies over great sports figures have a special place in children’s libraries.  I have raised three boys, two of which are very reluctant readers, but they have read every sports book in their school library and our public library.  Sports biographies often feature a player who has had to overcome hardships or adversity and never quit pursuing their dreams.  They had to work hard, practice, and focus on being the best to overcome hardships, outside issues such as war, racism, economic hardships, or injuries which are all great messages for young people.  These could all be used in a classroom for research purposes, but I think simply highlighting the collection through displays is a great way to get the attention of some of the less frequent library users.  At the opening of the season for various sports, create a display that can be seen by all of books about players to show readers that there are books out there that are interesting and that they can relate to.  Do book talks either in person, on the school news announcements, or on YouTube and social media to highlight some of these great books.  Once reluctant readers find books that they can relate to, they are hooked and you can start suggesting other books, both fiction and nonfiction, which they might also enjoy. 

Readalikes:

With baseball season in full swing, the following suggestions are all picture book biographies about baseball.  These are personal favorites for me and my boys and many of the readers that come into our public library.  Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, but it started out as a sport that was played only by white men, therefore it is easy to study American history through the study of baseball. 

You cannot read baseball stories without some mention of Babe Ruth, therefore this first recommendation is one of my favorite picture books about the Great Bambino  Homerun: The story of Babe Ruth is written by Robert Burleigh and magically illustrated by Mike Wimmer.  The illustration on the front cover shows Babe Ruth looking larger than life, which is how most people describe him even today.  This biography is simple and does not contain a large amount of history in Ruth, but it is a great starter for someone interested in one of baseball’s greatest players.  It leaves the reader wanting more which is a good thing when trying to get kids reading.

Girls can play baseball too, as many of us know, especially if we repeatedly watched the movie A league of their own like I did growing up.  Mama played baseball by David A. Adler and illustrated by Chris O’Leary tells the story of Amy’s mom who becomes a baseball player for the first professional women’s baseball league during World War II while her dad is away at war. There is so much history and information packed into this picture book and I personally think it is a must read.  Baseball was America’s sport and during WWII women took over numerous roles previously held by men and that included baseball. 

This last readalike also takes place during World War II, but features a young Japanese boy who dreamed of playing baseball while in a Japanese-American internment camp following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Again, here is a great example of the amount of history that can be learned reading about baseball. Barbed wire baseball: How oneman brought hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII is written by Marissa Moss and illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. The story tells of a young boy named Kenichi “Zeni” Zenimra who was not only told he was too small, but was also Japanese. Following Pearl Harbor in 1941, America became fearful of all Japanese people and forced them into internment camps to lessen the likelihood of another attack on American soil. Zeni fought adversity and ended up playing baseball with the greats such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and became known as the father of Japanese-American Baseball.

Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT.