Dad, Jackie, and Me

by Myron Uhlberg, Colin Bootman (Illustrator)

Overview

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

A young boy and his deaf father bond over baseball as they root for Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers to win the pennant. 

It was Opening Day, 1947. And every kid in Brooklyn knew this was our year. The Dodgers were going to go all the way!
 
In the summer of 1947, a highly charged baseball season is underway.  The new first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, is the first Black player in Major League Baseball--- and it looks like the team might have what it takes to get to the World Series. 
 
A young boy listens eagerly to the games on the radio, using sign language to tell his deaf father about every new development.  Getting into the spirit, his father begins to keep a scrapbook, clipping newspaper articles and photos about Jackie. 
 
One day, the father has big news: they're going to Ebbets field to watch Jackie play in person!  As the team draws closer to victory, the boy and his dad become more and more excited, going to every game they can— and becoming closer themselves through their shared love of the game. 
 
Inspired by memories of watching baseball with his own deaf father, Myron Uhlberg's story touches on the strength and determination needed to overcome prejudice, and the joy of a shared victory. Colin Bootman's realistic watercolor illustrations bring 1940s Brooklyn to life, alternating between the drama of Jackie Robinson's games and tender moments a father and son share.
 
In a moving Author’s Note, Uhlberg explains why his father identified with Robinson and how both men worked to overcome thoughtless prejudice and to prove themselves every day of their lives.
 
A perfect gift for baseball lovers, readers with deaf family members, and devoted Brooklynites, wherever they may live.
 
“...an affecting tribute to Robinson, to a dedicated son and to a thoughtful, deep-feeling father. And, of course, to baseball.”—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561456048
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	05/17/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	45 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Myron Uhlberg is the award-wining and critically acclaimed author of several children's books. Uhlberg is the first-born son of two deaf parents. His first language was ASL (American Sign Language). After graduating from Brandeis University, he served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He then spent the next forty years in the garment industry. His first book was published when he was sixty-six years old. He has appeared on NPR's Talk of the Nation and was featured in the Ken Burns documentary film, Jackie Robinson. He lives in California.

Colin Bootman was born in Trinidad but moved to the United States at the age of seven. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York, he has illustrated numerous books for children, including Almost to Freedom, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book. He lives in New York.

Editorial Reviews

Uhlberg's (Flying Over Brooklyn) moving text and Bootman's (Papa's Mark) realistic, period watercolors introduce the narrator, an avid young baseball player and fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1947, the Dodgers have just acquired Jackie Robinson, and the boy's father, who is deaf, comes home with two tickets to see the Dodgers play. Though the man has never shown an interest in the sport, soon after the game, the eager-to-learn man grills his son about the sport and about Robinson, and each night attempts to play catch with the boy. Though Bootman's portraits of father and son can be uneven, his close-ups of Robinson consistently convey the athlete's poise and calm under fire. The tale focuses less on the specifics of the season and more on the link between Robinson and the boy's deaf father overcoming obstacles; in many ways the concluding author's note tells the more poignant side of the autobiographical points to the story. But most readers will be thrilled by the book's climax: when Robinson catches a ball to make the last out of the season, he throws the ball to the boy's father, who, for the first time in his life, catches a baseball. Ultimately, this is an affecting tribute to Robinson, to a dedicated son and to a thoughtful, deep-feeling father. And, of course, to baseball. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-5-Like The Printer (Peachtree, 2003), this story is based on Uhlberg's experiences growing up as a hearing child of deaf parents. The tale is set in Brooklyn in 1947, where a young Dodger fan eagerly anticipates the much-heralded addition of Jackie Robinson to his team's lineup. Surprisingly, the narrator's deaf father is interested too; he has recognized his own struggle for respect and acceptance mirrored in Robinson's triumph. The two begin attending games and keep a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the first baseman. Though baseball and Robinson are at the heart of this story, its strength lies in its depiction of the bond between father and son. It is evident that their relationship is characterized by respect and tenderness, though, at the ballpark, the boy is at first embarrassed when his father's awkward cheer causes other fans to stare. The page design resembles a scrapbook, with actual newspaper clippings on the endpapers. Bootman's lovely watercolor paintings add detail and wistful nostalgia. Baseball fans may be disappointed with the narrative's slow pace and the fact that Robinson is little more than an iconic figure, but others will appreciate the story's insightful treatment of deafness as viewed through the eyes of a child.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

When Jackie Robinson signs with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as first baseman, the historic event captures the imagination of one middle-aged man in Brooklyn-the author's father. This genuinely affecting, fictionalized story reveals how Uhlberg's father, who is deaf, personally relates to the first African-American player in major league baseball as someone who also has to overcome discrimination. The shared excitement of father and son during a Giants vs. Dodgers game at Ebbets Field is contagious, as readers experience the tension of the game as well as that generated by racist Giants fans. The boy's embarrassment as his father chants Jackie's name as "AH-GHEE, AH-GEE, AH-GEE!" vanishes by the season's last game when Robinson throws the ball straight to his father and, amazingly, he catches it in his bare hand. Bootman's realistic, wonderfully expressive watercolor paintings capture the fashions and flavor of 1940s New York in muted browns and greens. The endpapers, an actual scrapbook of old newspaper articles about Robinson, provide a satisfying context for this ultimately upbeat, multi-dimensional story. (author's note) (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

"Genuinely affecting. . . Bootman's realistic, wonderfully expressive watercolor paintings capture the fashions and flavor of 1940's New York in muted brows and greens. The endpapers, an actual scrapbook of old newspaper articles about Robinson, provide a satisfying context for this ultimately upbeat, multi-dimensional story."—Kirkus Reviews

"An affecting tribute to Robinson, to a dedicated son and to a thoughtful, deep-feeling father. And, of course, to baseball."—Publishers Weekly

"It takes the young Uhlberg, narrator of the story, a while to overcome his embarrassment at his father's attempts to cheer for Robinson. . . but eventually Dad's devotion wins the day in a moving finale. Colin Bootman, who earned a Coretta Scott Honor Award for Almost to Freedom (2003), uses evocative watercolors rich in soft browns and lush greens to capture both the feel of the 1940s (fedora-wearing fans) and the electricity of Robinson's play."—Booklist

"Bootman's lovely watercolor paintings add detail and wistful nostalgia. . . [readers] will appreciate the story's insightful treatment of deafness as viewed through the eyes of a child."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher