We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

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Recipient of Peach’s Picks Award

Top Ten Favorite Books

Summer 2011

Author: Kadir Nelson

Illustrator: Kadir Nelson

Peach’s Picks Rating:

 

Year of publication: 2008

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Jump at the Sun / Hyperion

ISBN: 978-0-7868-0832-8

Author website: http://www.kadirnelson.com/

Illustrator website: See entry for “Author website”

Media used for illustrations: Oil paintings

Annotation: Shows life in American Negro League baseball from the 1902s to the late 1940s. The narrative is told from the perspective of an “everyman” player; documenting discrimination, segregation, and poor working conditions.

Personal reaction to the book: This book tells the history of Negro League Baseball from the 1920s through the 1940s. It is told in an authentic voice using a narrator who represents a composite player from the league. The narrator speaks to the reader in a first person conversational tone, relating his memories of the time. We learn of the players’ love of baseball and their determination to continue playing in the face of discrimination, inadequate sports equipment, and low pay. Their story reflects the social and political climate that affected all African-Americans at the time. The title of the book is a quote from Rube Foster, the founder of the Negro National League. There are ten chapters each referred to as “innings”. Each chapter offers a different aspect of a player’s experience. The ninth inning takes the reader to Jackie Robinson’s entrance in the Major Leagues. The last chapter, “Extra Innings” explains the end of the Negro Leagues. The work is well researched including endnotes, a list of Negro League players who entered the major leagues, Negro League players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, an extensive author’s note, bibliography, and filmography. The book is paginated and includes a well constructed index, both offering the reader easy reference. Nelson’s powerful oil paintings often depict the players looking straight out of the page at the reader. The angle is usually low, making the players seem especially powerful and athletic. Their faces, arms, and hands are all expressive of their power and confidence on the field. Their athleticism is apparent. The text is laid out on one side of the open spread with an illustration, usually a player’s portrait, covering the entire opposite page. There are five stunning two page spread illustrations with no text. The reader feels as though they are on the field with the players. One spectacular gatefold illustration is included. It is a ticket to the “First Colored World Series” and invites one to open it. There the reader finds a portrait of both teams, their mangers, and owns standing against the backdrop of Muehlebach Field in Kansas City, Missouri. Adults will enjoy this book as much, if not more than young readers. After reading this book, one feels as though they were a player traveling with the Negro Leagues. (Learn how Leroy “Satchel” Paige got his nickname on page 47.)

Further discussion of artwork:

In his book Looking at Picture Books, John Warren Stewig states, “Oil paints are a medium not often used by illustrators, perhaps in part because they take a long time to dry” (page 106). The reader who views the visual delights of We Are the Ship will be thankful that Kadir Nelson embraces the use of oil paints. He has created stunning and expressive photorealistic portraits illustrating the history and players of Negro League baseball. Nelson displays much detail in his paintings making them seem as though he used an air-brush to create the illustrations. He shows texture in the player’s lips, the veins in their hands, and the bulging muscles of biceps and forearms. Most illustrations show players from a straight on point of view, looking directly out from the middle of the page. Even though the angle is straight on, it is also low causing the viewer to look up at the player. This technique makes the player look powerful and larger than life. The characters look as though they paused and posed for a photograph. Many illustrations show bright blue skies in the background. This frames the players and reminds the reader of a glorious day at the ballpark. According to a study guide created for this book by the Friends of African & African-American Art, Nelson finds inspiration for his artwork from artists such as Michelangelo, Norman Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth, and Howard Pyle, among others (page 3). Placement of people on the page is especially reminiscent of many of Norman Rockwell’s work with characters and action placed in the middle of the page.

References

Friends of African & African-American Art. (2011). We are the ship: The story of the Negro League baseball exhibit study guide. Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. Retrieved August 6, 2011, from http://www.theartscouncil.com/Exhibits/Study%20guide%20WATS.pdf

Stewig, J. W. (1995). Looking at picture books. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press.

General curricular connections:

• Art /Use when studying award winning illustrators
• Baseball
• Baseball / History
• Negro leagues
• African-American baseball players
• Civil Rights
• Use this book in connection with Teammates by Peter Golenbock; The Journal of Biddy Owens, the Negro Leagues by Walter Dean Myers; Black Diamonds: Life in the Negro Leagues from the Men who Lived It compiled by John B. Holway; A Negro League Scrapbook by Carole Boston Weatherford

Specific example of curricular connection matched to State Standards:
Subject: History
Grade level: 11

Standards:

California State Standards

History – Social Studies Content Standards for Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade 12

Grade 11 United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century

11.10 Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights.

2. Examine and analyze the key events, policies, and court cases in the evolution of civil rights, including Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, and California Proposition 209.

(Specifically, Plessy v. Feguson)

Recommended grade levels:

School Library Journal recommends the book for use with grades 3 and up

Booklist recommends the book for use with grades 5-8

Peach’s Picks recommends the book for use with grades 5 and up

Awards/Recognitions:

Booklist starred review

Horn Book starred review

Library Media Connection starred review

Publishers Weekly starred review

School Library Journal starred review

Coretta Scott King Award Winner, Author Award, 2009

ALA Notable Children’s Books, Older Readers, 2009

Note: This book is included in Assignment 2.

Simile: Page 38; “Worked like the mule that plows the field during the week and pulls the carriage to church on Sunday morning.”

Simile: Page 42; “He was like lightning.”

Metaphor: Page 42; “He killed fastballs.”

Book cover picture retrieved from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/more/03/05/pride0310/