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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J 921 PAIGE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Satchel Paige could throw a baseball like no one else. But when he began his career in the 1920s, even the best African American players were kept out of the major leagues. Paige rose to stardom in the Negro Baseball Leagues--and he waited for his chance to play in the "big show." Finally, at an age when most players retire, Paige proved that staying in the game pays off. Ages 4-8 AUTHOR: David A. Adler and Terry Widener, the award-winning team behind several acclaimed sports biographies, have created a powerful story about a talented athlete who just wouldn't give up. Satchel Paige is an inspired subject for baseball lovers, readers who are interested in African American history, and anyone who has held on to a dream. Illustrated
Author Notes
David A. Adler was born in New York City. He attended Queen's College in New York City and later, earned an MBA in Marketing from New York University.
He writes both fiction and non-fiction. He is the author of Cam Jansen mysteries and the Andy Russell titles. His titles has earned him numerous awards including a Sydney Taylor Book Award for his title "The Number on My Grandfather's Arm," "A Picture Book of Jewish Holidays" was named a Notable Book of 1981 by the American Library Association and "Our Golda" was named a Carter G. Woodson Award Honor Book.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
These creative collaborators (Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man) offer a multidimensional portrait of another athlete worthy of the spotlight. Born in Alabama in 1906, Satchel Paige was called by many the greatest pitcher of his day (quoted here saying as much are his contemporaries Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Dizzy Dean), yet for years he was barred from playing in the Major Leagues because he was African-American. Adler's crisp yet conversational narrative throws out nuggets about Paige's boyhood (e.g., he earned his nickname after rigging up a pole and rope to carry multiple satchels at the train depot). Aided by Widener's stylized acrylics, which serve up alluring perspectives of on-field action, the author chronicles Paige's accomplishments pitching for semi-pro black baseball teams and in the Negro Leagues. Finally-on his 42nd birthday (he never confessed his birth date until he retired, at age 59), and after pitching for 25 years-he signed with the Cleveland Indians. Readers will cheer Paige's long overdue, triumphant moment when later that year he was the first African-American to pitch in a World Series. Pithy quotes by Paige, interspersed throughout the text, also convey his gumption and grit. Ages 5-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This readable, thorough picture book biography follows the iconoclastic African American pitcher from his childhood through his unprecedented success in the Negro Leagues to his determination to make it into major-league baseball--until 1947, open only to whites. Adler ably conveys Paige's larger-than-life personality, aided by Widener's bold and appropriately exaggerated acrylic illustrations. A timeline and brief source note are included. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Satchel Paige was an amazing, immensely popular pitcher who won many games in the Negro Leagues. He was admired and respected by the white baseball stars like Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Dizzy Dean, who faced him in off-season barnstorming games, but was virtually unknown by white baseball fans. He persevered through all the hardships and finally reached the major leagues at the age of 42, the year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Adler captures the real man behind the persona that Paige so carefully projected. He had whimsical names for his pitches, like "trouble ball" and whipsey-dipsey-do." "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you" is just one of the rules he invented for himself. But he was also outspoken about segregation and the limited opportunities of African Americans. He knew that racism had cheated him of a major-league career. Paige's innate dignity shines in Widener's cartoon-like, acrylic illustrations that beautifully complement the text. Another winning effort from Adler. (chronology, sources) (Picture book/biography. 7-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The great baseball pitcher was always larger than life: here he looms as a folk hero. Adler tells the story of Paige's life simply: the seventh of 11 children, he was sent to reform school for petty theft but was famous for his arm from his earliest years. Successful in the Negro Leagues for decades, he eventually became a major league rookie--in his early forties. Widener's acrylic paintings elongate and exaggerate the figures, using a rubbery perspective and old-fashioned hues to great effect. Although this is not as powerful as Lesa Cline-Ransome's Satchel Paige (1999), it does capture Paige's personal charisma as well as his place in baseball history. --GraceAnne DeCandido Copyright 2007 Booklist
