All Play Ball! Picture Books about Black, Brown, Male, Female Baseball Players
Spring Training is on! Right now, Major League Baseball players of all colors are warming up. A rainbow of baseball kids are warming up too, to play and watch—and read! These picture books about Black, Hispanic, Native American, male and female baseball players will make reading time a hit!
When talking baseball history, most fans’ knowledge of baseball players of color starts on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson took the field as the Brooklyn Dodgers #42, the first Black player to play in the MLB. But that is far from the truth.
Black players have been playing as long, as well, and in spite of the MLB—right along with White players—the same game, by the same rules, and on the same fields!
Did you know that when Yankee Stadium wasn’t hosting NY Yankee vs other MLB team games, it was home field for Negro Leagues Baseball teams, too.
And there are—and were—women in Pro Baseball! Players, coaches, scouts, managers and owners. Effa Manley, owner/manager of Newark Eagles, was the first woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame!
Nicknamed “The Great One,” Roberto Clemente led the Pirates to 2 World Series, hit 3000 hits, and was the first Latino to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Read more in Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburg Pirates!
Mamie “Peanut” Johnson was the first female pitcher in Pro Baseball pitched in the Negro Leagues.
Read more in Mamie On the Mound!
Before 1947, players of color were banned from MLB so under the leadership of player/manager Pop Lloyd, the Negro Leagues was formed. Check out the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum website for Black players history, photos and more!
Negro Leagues superstar Buck O’Neil played with the Kansas City Monarchs. The Greatest Thing is his story.
Josh Gibson known as the “Black Babe Ruth” was one of the biggest hitters of all time! read more in William Brashler’s biography Josh Gibson: A Life in the Negro Leagues
“African Americans make up 50% of MLB’s current top 10 leaders in career HRs.”
On April 22, 1897, Louis Sockalexis became the first American Indian to become a Major League ballplayer with the National League Cleveland Spiders.
Read more about him in Louis Sockalexis: Native American Pioneer by Bill Wise.
Before Jackie Robinson put on the #42 Jersey and took the field as a Brooklyn Dodger, he’d done a lot of living and played a lot of baseball. There are books about him for readers of all levels:
And just so you know, my new picture book, The House That Ruth Built, illustrated by Susanna Covelli, is loaded with baseball history, vintage photos and trivia about the players, including Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson and the Negro Leagues, balls, bats, fouls, strikes bases loaded—available NOW from Familus!
What Inspires Me? J. Ivy
If you’re reading this, the 2023 Grammy Award ceremony is over. If you watched, you watched history being performed as the nominees and winners of a brand-new award category were announced:
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
Whether you know it or not, poetry is alive and slammin’ in classrooms, coffeehouses— between b-ball games and cheer practice—gyms all over! Yes, Poetry!
Amanda Gorman brought poetry to the attention of the voting public when she read her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at Biden’s Inauguration in 2020.
But J. Ivy! By pushing, urging, writing letters, campaigning, insisting Spoken Word Poetry Albums be recognized as Grammy Worthy, Poetry—performance poetry—vibrant poetry—the spoken word is now right up there with Pop, Country Western, Blues…Spoken Word Poetry is the 1st or 91st of the 2023 91 Grammy Award Categories! As it should be, for as J. Ivy said in an interview shortly after the new Grammy category was announced:
“Poetry is at the base, the root, of song.”
While being nominated—perhaps winning (if you’re reading this you know)— was not J. Ivy’s reason for pushing for the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album category being added. His purpose was to give performance poetry it’s due and to help poetry creators & performers to be heard. After the category was added, he helped 20 or 30 other poet’ work through the award consideration submission process. But once you’re heard J. Ivy. you know he deserved a place on the list—in my opinion, at the top!
He’s nominated for his fourth album, 2022’s “The Poet Who Sat By The Door.” It’s a spoken word-musical opus that features contributions from Legend as well as Slick Rick, PJ Morton, Sir the Baptist, BJ the Chicago Kid and a number of other talents.
This year, J.Ivy is nominated alongside five other “Spoken” albums by, among others, Dave Chappell and our former POTUS Barrack Obama—none of which are poetry albums. The goal—J.Ivy’s goal for next year’s Grammys is to have “All five performers nominated be poets!”
Now that’s inspiring!
If, like me, you’re craving more of J. Ivy’s work, click over to J. Ivy’s YouTube Channel @JIvyTube settle back and enjoy!
HAPPY WORLD READ ALOUD DAY! 2023
Happy World Read Aloud Day 2023!
that’s worth repeating:
Happy World Read Aloud Day 2023!
Isn’t amazing! All over the world people are stopping whatever they are doing, grabbing a book, and a friend so they can READ! READ! READ!
ME Too!
And now you!
World Read Aloud Day is about celebrating the power of reading aloud. It was created by the non-profit organization LitWorld, “with the aim of bringing people and communities together through the power of words.” The event is now celebrated by over 173 countries around the world.
How exactly do we celebrate?
We grab a book and a friend and read!
I have the book: Shel Silverstein’s Where The Sidewalk Ends.
I hope you’ll be my friend!
Ready! Set! Click on my “Happy World Read Aloud Video” if you don’t see it below, it’s on my YouTube Channel: Kelly Bennett Books!
For more about Shel Silverstein—including a 7-minute Poetry Challenge, Lucky you! It just so happens a few months ago, right here in the Fishbowl, we featured Shel Silverstein in “Upside Down & Sideways".
What Inspires Me? The Third Act
This has been a wrenching few weeks. My dearest, long-time adult friend, John, passed away suddenly mid-December. (“Adult” as in we were of-age when we met, not that we were grown-ups.) We returned from his memorial Monday and then attended another memorial Tuesday for Bob Lupone, co-founder of the MCC Theatre, as well as an actor, primarily a dancer—the first Chorus Line Zach, in fact. (And yes, he was Patti Lupone’s brother.)
Robert Lupone, “Zach” with ”Cassie” in Chorus Line
I’m not going to talk about John here, but this is for him and about him, too, so bear with me.
Bob Lupone wasn’t a “friend,” but through MCC he was a part of our lives. MCC, the Manhattan Class Company, is an Off-Broadway Theatre Company he founded along with his maybe first adult friend, Bernie Tesley in the mid-80s—, the same time John and I began cooking together in the New Harvest kitchen. When they founded the MCC with a mission: “To create new work for the American stage.”
Almost 40 years later, the MCC is renowned for staging new plays—many that have gone on to bigger and more. And most importantly, MCC it is committed to and renowned for workshopping, developing, nurturing new playwrights.
In the MCC to tribute to Bob Lupone and at his memorial, many who spoke or shared written testaments talked about how much he loved discussing the work during creation of a play and performances. How they would “walk out of the theater anxious to go to the bar or restaurant and spend the rest of the night hashing over what [they] had seen?” And how, when developing plays he always asked the tough questions.
Lupone called that, the part that sticks with us afterwards, the things that keep us returning, remembering, making us think, keep us savoring the meal long after the dishes have been done, The Third Act.
“Whenever we considered a play Bob always made us ask ourselves if it had a ‘third act’? ”
Jubilee by Ellen Yeomans is A Third Act
A Third Act! Life beyond the stage, the page—afterlife.
When working with picture book creators—either workshopping our own work or discussing/dissecting published picture books—books we wish we’d written and those we are glad we didn’t—much of the conversation is about that after. The Third Act!
For lack of a better term, I call it the “about-about” as in sure we know what happens in the story but what is it really about? What is a reader left with afterwards? What’s the take-away? And what keeps us returning to the same story over and over again? Now I have a better name for it “The Third Act.”
Since John passed, we all—John’s family and friends—have been sharing photos and memories. Below are a few from our big-belly-laugh moments:
Give Me Somebody to Dance With
Tourists in Turks: John and me at L&R’s wedding
Play Me the Music!
“Baby you can drive my car!”
Give Me a Reason to Dance
John at M&M’s wedding. That’s not me dancing with him—wish it were!
The Third Act! That’s inspiring!
“All I ever needed was the music, and the mirror, and the chance to dance . . .”—Chorus Line
What Inspires Me? Woody Guthrie "Keeping the Hoping Machine Going"
Happy Brand New Year! 2023. Time for fresh starts! New beginnings! Resolutions! Did I hear a GROAN????
Call me a hypocrite because every-single-other year I have written a post about making resolutions, their value, how important goals are yada-yada. . . but. . .
I hate making resolutions!
Not because I don’t have resolve. I absolutely do. Along with a mean followthrough…and I am not talking tennis!
"Hey hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song..." when Bob Dylan was a boy, he went to meet his hero. This PB by Gary Golio and Mark Burkhardt tells the story.
The problem is that coming up with that list of resolutions takes so dang long, wheedling it out to the important few, even longer—and when I’m finished my list of resolutions is always soooooo boring.
Which brings me to Woodie Guthrie
You might call it Back to the Future because I am talking the Woodie Guthrie circa January 1943. When he was on the road, seeing America and writing, strumming, singing songs, telling it like it was—with hopes for how it could be.
On January 1st, 1943, Woodie drafted and illustrated a 33-item list of resolutions.
An inspired heartful list with resolutions he felt worth fighting to keep—Number 33 is exactly that:
“Wake up and Fight.”
A few others touched me especially, including:
“Keep Hoping Machine Running”
“Dream Big”
“Write a song a day.”
“Dance Better.”
Don’t take my word for it! Go on and read for yourself (I’ve included the list below along with a link to the Town and Country article in which it was unearthed. Who knows a few items on the list might be just the reminder you need to encourage you to resolve that this will be a great great year!
Keeping our hoping machines running . . . now that’s inspiring!
Here’s to YOU and 2023, too!
And hearty thanks to @clarenashme for bring the article in Town and Country to my attention. Click the hyperlink to read it in its entirety.
Suggestion: And, if you have not yet visited the Woodie Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma—add it to your list. It is amazing! And right next door is the Bob Dylan Center!
What Inspires Me? Reading Free
I just celebrated my 4th Anniversary as a Little Free Library Steward. It began selfishly. As a way for me to cull my overflowing book collection. Frankly, in those first several months, I was my best library customer.
Then CoVid shutdown came, and with it library and bookstore closings. During that time, my library was the only book source in town! And, suddenly, instead of dwindling stock, I found myself curating stacks of donations. Sure, a few visitors used it as a dump for raggedy outdated textbooks and computer programing manuals. But most donations were gently read and some even included reviews and notes:
“Read Me! You’ll be glad you did””
Confession: I judiciously cull my library offering. Yes, I even ban some books from it.
I ban books I think are poorly written.
I ban some books I found boring.
I ban books that BIPOC friends find offensive.
I ban pamphlets.
I ban religious material folks slip in. (Not because I object to said material. More because I’ve made a decision to keep my library non-secular.)
I ban non-PG books.
As we all know—I’m not the only one banning books. And this might sound hypocritical, but this horrifies me. Towns defunding libraries because librarians refuse to ban books. Towns firing or “polietly” shoving out librarians who refuse to take “banned” books off their shelves….McFarland, CA seriously considering shutting the library—and turning it into a police station.
This, I can do something about. And every one of us with a Little Free Library can do something about. Because we are the stewards of our own Little Free Libraries. We can act!
We can stock banned books.
If you’ve got books! It you love books! If you like sharing books! Then there are 2 things you should consider doing:
Support your local library and librarian’s choices to purchase, stock and share books by diverse authors and on diverse subjects.
Steward your own Little Free Library. It’s fun. It’s rewarding. You can stock it with books that are being banned for the wrong reasons…and help keep reading free!
Besides, Little Free Libraries are so flippin’ creative, cute, clever….cool. Here are 36 Cool Little Free Library Designs. See for yourself.
What Inspires Me? Museum of Broadway
There are museums for everything, right? Art museums, Sports museums, Train museums, Firefighter museums, Sex, Toy and Torture museums (different buildings in different cities). And yes, there is even the Museum of Everything. But… not quite everything!
Finally the museum that will have Broadway Theatre loves knocking their foreheads saying “Duh! It’s about time!” is live!
The Museum of Broadway opened officially November 15, 2022.
I was so lucky to get a sneak peek of the Museum a few days before its official opening.
One word: WOW!
The costumes, the scenery, the makeup, the props…There is No Business Like Show Business (Sing it Nathan!)
Museum of Broadway has got some of everything that makes Broadway, Broadway Baby!
I predict it will be SOL soon.
Hint: Book you’re Museum of Broadway tickets at the same time you’re book your Broadway Show tickets. That’s a must!
What my hungry writer’s heart found most inspiring were the words.
Handwritten Lyrics from Chorus Line with “picture of someone” scribbled out and “picture of a person I don’t know” written below it.
Richard Rogers word list—surrey, curry, flurry—scribbled for Surry with the Fringe on Top.
Hmmm... what do you think sounds better: “Ducks and chicks and geese make tasty curry? or better scurry?”
And more words!
Artist Rachel Marks’ revisioning of the entire Showboat score into art.
Museum of Broadway. Inspiring! Don’t take my word for it!
The website has a sneak preview video—I tried to post it but couldn’t embed, so click over and watch: Museum of Broadway: About (themuseumofbroadway.com)
What Inspires Me? Plungers, Hooves & Boobies
Creativity is a quagmire of contradictions: “Follow the rules” “Learn the rules, then break them” “Make your own rules” “Rules are meant to be broken” “You didn’t follow the rules” “Been there done that”…
This is especially true of the picture book publishing world in which the two-dimensionality of paper/binding, materials used, production and printing costs are hard and fast. Working within these physical constraints are part of what makes creating picture books challenging and exciting.
Many other “rules” about picture books, however, especially those pertaining to subject matter, have absolutely nothing to do with physical limitation. Rather these rules are set by gatekeepers “protecting” tender young eyes and minds. Really?
At times like these, with books being banned right and left for various reasons, it is a surer bet to stick to safe subjects. This “play it safe” trap is one (I am not proud to say) I often fall into when choosing which story ideas to pursue. Safe is predictable. Safe is easier. Safe is also, often, bor-ring.
I’m good with safe. Or was until a cluster of picture books challenging the good ole safe kittens-bunnies-sunshine-lollipops-happy-ever-after picture book “norm” knock me right out of my comfy, safe nest. Picture Books like these on Travis Jonkers’ “The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of 2022” list. Picture books with daring, exciting, surprising ideas and characters—and creators— that delight and remind me.
Interior of Sam Winston’s A Dictionary Story
Here’s a sampling of books from Jonkers’ Astonishing List:
One and Everything by Sam Winston about a story—the best, most important story ever—that called itself “The One” and started eating all the other stories—stories made of seas and full of dogs and . . .
Sanm Winston, other picture books include A Child of Books with Oliver Jeffers and A Dictionary Story which he self-published with proceeds from a Kickstarter campaign, about a dictionary that brings her words to life. Here’s the video of Sam explaining the A Dictionary Story project—fascinating!
I Want to Be a Vase by Julio Torres, about a plunger who would rather be a vase which gets all the household objects thinking about what they’d rather be. Here’s the read-aloud.
Torres calls the book “a Coffee Table Book for Kids.” it’s so hot, so trendy Seth Myers featured Torres and “Vase” on Late Night.
Hooves or Hands? by Rosie Haine. A concept book Jonkers’ calls, “a surreal and playful exploration of our relationship with horses.” Which would you rather have? Hooves or hands? Four legs or two? Eat food or hay? Say yay or neigh? Rosie Haine, who’s PB debut It isn’t Rude to be Nude is likewise smart, thought-provoking and fun.
Boobies by Nancy Vo. A book all about Boobies—yes those Boobies! Blue-footed Booby, who does not have any boobies at all, since only mammals have boobies wants them. Thus launches an exploration of boobies, who has them why, where milk comes from—boobies and plants too! Vo makes taboo titty talk fun and fine!
As has been the case so often in the past—and forevermore—Boobies will stop my ramble. Have no fear, these books and more are on Travis Jonker’s “The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Books of 2022” Bookstop list! When you finish here, click over to read about the rest. And. . . Commercial: If you decide to buy online, try Bookstop.org first as the proceeds go to support Indie Bookstores.
Along with making me laugh and wonder, these mind-expanding, possibility packed picture books reminded me that “No” and “No one will ever” and “No way can I” are lies we tell ourselves so we won’t have to dare.