In 1955, the Cannon Street YMCA chartered the only African American Little League in South Carolina. That same year, sixty-one all-white teams pulled out of the South Carolina Little League State Tournament so they would not have to play the Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars. This story, inspired by the true events of that time, follows one young ballplayer, Cleveland, through that fateful season.
Cleveland dreams of playing baseball like his heroes Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. He believes he will get that chance when he makes the Cannon Street All-Star team. But things don’t go as planned when Cleveland and his teammates find out they are not allowed to play in the tournament despite their talent and hard work during the season. Yet even in the face of such prejudice, the Cannon Street All-Stars find a way to make their families and coaches proud.
Gr 1–4
It's 1955, major league baseball is newly integrated, and young Cleveland signs up to play on one of the four teams in the Cannon Street YMCA Little League-the only colored Little League in South Carolina. Earning a spot as pitcher, he is chosen at season's end for the league's all-star squad, which will compete in the state tournament. But the athletes' hopes are crushed when all of the state's 61 white teams refuse to play the black team, eliminating them from the tournament and a chance at the World Series. The National Little League invites Cleveland's team to Williamsport, PA, to watch the event from the stands, but it is a bittersweet experience for the boys. At September's end, Cleveland and his father cheer as Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series. A two-page author's note explains that the tale is based on true events and includes team photos. Done in pencil, acrylic, and spray paint, Jenkins's color-saturated illustrations imbue the text with warmth, passion, and nostalgia. This is a powerful story, well told. By placing one boy's segregated baseball summer in the context of an integrated World Series, Weatherford gives readers a blazing picture of our country in the early struggles to abolish segregation. A first choice.
—Mary HazeltonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Overview
In 1955, the Cannon Street YMCA chartered the only African American Little League in South Carolina. That same year, sixty-one all-white teams pulled out of the South Carolina Little League State Tournament so they would not have to play the Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars. This story, inspired by the true events of that time, follows one young ballplayer, Cleveland, through that fateful season.
Cleveland dreams of playing baseball like his heroes Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. ...