Overview

A biography of Louis Sockalexis, Penobscot Indian and the first Native American to play professional baseball, focusing on his formative years and culminating in an historic game at New York's Polo Grounds in 1897. On a Maine summer day in 1884, twelve-year-old Penobscot Indian Louis Sockalexis first fell in love with baseball. As he grew up, Louis honed his skills and dreamed of one day joining a major league team. Louis encountered opposition at every turn-from the jeers of teammates and the taunts of spectators who thought he had no place in a ""white man's sport"" to the disapproval of his father, who wanted Louis to focus on tribal life. Louis finally made it to the major league Cleveland Spiders, but racism followed him, until one momentous day in June 1897 at New York's Polo Grounds. Facing off against the most feared pitcher in baseball, Louis proved he belonged in the sport. Here is the inspiring story of a boy who dared to make his dream a reality. With determination, courage, and quiet dignity, Louis Sockalexis smashed racial barriers and home runs, leaving an indelible mark on America's favorite sport.

Full Product Details

9781600604287

Table of Contents

Reviews

Wise conveys the tension and drama of the Spiders-Giants game. . . Balancing close-range portraits of the player and depictions of on-the-diamond action, Farnsworth's light-infused oil paintings impart the emotional tenor and the triumph of Louis's early years and regrettably brief major league career. -- Publishers Weekly Wise and Farnsworth collaborate to great effect in rendering this story both informative and poignant. The color-drenched paintings do an excellent job of bringing this period to life and capturing the intense emotion of the ballpark drama. This finely crafted look at a little-known sports pioneer should intrigue a wide audience of readers. -- School Library Journal Farnsworth imparts a strong sense of character and period by posing his slender, dignified, smooth-skinned athlete in old-time uniforms against hazy historical settings. -- Kirkus Reviews There are a number of books about the difficulties African American baseball players faced in their efforts to participate in America's pastime. Here's the story of a Native American, who also dealt with prejudice in the early days of the game. . . the story of the Penobscot boy who fell in love with baseball and endured the jeers and taunts of crowds and teammates is illustrated powerfully by Farnsworth. -- Booklist Sockalexis encountered racial taunts, injury and the disapproval of his father to become one of the best players - and certainly one of the greatest Native players - in baseball history. . . This is a wonderful scripted narrative of one of the early pioneers in Native American sports history, suitable for every boy and girl who dreams of diamond glory. -- Native Peoples A Penobscot Indian, Louis played briefly for the Cleveland Spiders in the late 1890s. Racism followed him wherever he competed, but he proved that he belonged in the sport not only with his bat and glove, but with his quiet dignity and courage. . . Bill Farnsworth's warm oil paintings shed light on the story. An inspiring tale, much like that of Jackie Robinson. -- Plain Dealer Carter G. Woodson Award, National Council for the Social Studies Notable Books for a Global Society, International Literacy Association (ILA) Children's Book Award, International Literacy Association (ILA) Myers Outstanding Book Awards - Honorable Mention, Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators Distinguished Children's Biography List, Cleveland Public Library

"""Wise conveys the tension and drama of the Spiders-Giants game. . . Balancing close-range portraits of the player and depictions of on-the-diamond action, Farnsworth's light-infused oil paintings impart the emotional tenor and the triumph of Louis's early years and regrettably brief major league career."" -- Publishers Weekly ""Wise and Farnsworth collaborate to great effect in rendering this story both informative and poignant. The color-drenched paintings do an excellent job of bringing this period to life and capturing the intense emotion of the ballpark drama. This finely crafted look at a little-known sports pioneer should intrigue a wide audience of readers."" -- School Library Journal ""Farnsworth imparts a strong sense of character and period by posing his slender, dignified, smooth-skinned athlete in old-time uniforms against hazy historical settings."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""There are a number of books about the difficulties African American baseball players faced in their efforts to participate in America's pastime. Here's the story of a Native American, who also dealt with prejudice in the early days of the game. . . the story of the Penobscot boy who fell in love with baseball and endured the jeers and taunts of crowds and teammates is illustrated powerfully by Farnsworth."" -- Booklist ""Sockalexis encountered racial taunts, injury and the disapproval of his father to become one of the best players - and certainly one of the greatest Native players - in baseball history. . . This is a wonderful scripted narrative of one of the early pioneers in Native American sports history, suitable for every boy and girl who dreams of diamond glory."" -- Native Peoples ""A Penobscot Indian, Louis played briefly for the Cleveland Spiders in the late 1890s. Racism followed him wherever he competed, but he proved that he belonged in the sport not only with his bat and glove, but with his quiet dignity and courage. . . Bill Farnsworth's warm oil paintings shed light on the story. An inspiring tale, much like that of Jackie Robinson."" -- Plain Dealer Carter G. Woodson Award, National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Notable Books for a Global Society, International Literacy Association (ILA) Children's Book Award, International Literacy Association (ILA) Distinguished Children's Biography List, Cleveland Public Library Myers Outstanding Book Awards, Gustavus Myers Book Awards Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators"

Wise and Farnsworth collaborate to great effect in rendering this story both informative and poignant. The color-drenched paintings do an excellent job of bringing this period to life and capturing the intense emotion of the ballpark drama. This finely crafted look at a little-known sports pioneer should intrigue a wide audience of readers. -- Marilyn Taniguchi School Library Journal

Wise's solid debut picture book opens on June 16, 1897, as baseball fans filled the stadium at New York's Polo Grounds to watch the Cleveland Spiders face the New York Giants. Many in attendance had come to see -- and heckle -- a talented Cleveland rookie who was the first Native American to play major league baseball, Louis Sockalexis. The story then flashes back to Louis's boyhood in Maine, where he lived on the Penobscot Indian reservation and helped his father, a logger and river guide. But the lad 'preferred to swing a baseball bat, not an ax, ' and spent his free time playing ball with peers or practicing on his own. Sockalexis became a star on his high school and college (he attended on an athletic scholarship) teams, persevering 'with dignity and grace' despite the racial insults hurled by spectators. In 1897, he signed a contract with the Cleveland Spiders, even though his father insisted that his 'rightful place' was on the reservation. Returning to the tale's opening scene, Wise conveys the tension and drama of the Spiders-Giants game, in which the crowd's jeers turn to cheers when Louis -- as his father and other Penobscot tribe members look on -- hits a home run against a celebrated pitcher (Amos Rusie, the 'Hoosier Thunderbolt'). Balancing close-range portraits of the player and depictions of on-the-diamond action, Farnsworth's light-infused oil paintings impart the emotional tenor and the triumph of Louis's early years and regrettably brief major league career. -- Publishers Weekly This picture book offers a rousing introduction to the life of 'the first Native American to play major league baseball.' Hooked on the game from age 12, Sockalexis, a member of Maine's Penobscot tribe, won an athletic scholarship to Holy Cross College and was signed by the Cleveland Spiders in 1897. Despite the disapproval of his father, who felt that his son should stay with his people instead of traveling the country with a ball team, Sockalexis was determined to play. Though he faced discrimination both on and off the field, his rookie season started strong. The narrative focuses on his first visit to the famed Polo Grounds stadium, home to the New York Giants and their ace pitcher, Amos Rusie. An afterword points out that though Sockalexis's career was tragically shortened by an injury, his efforts opened the door for Native American players such as Charles Albert Bender and Jim Thorpe. Wise and Farnsworth collaborate to great effect in rendering this story both informative and poignant. The color-drenched paintings do an excellent job of bringing this period to life and capturing the intense emotion of the ballpark drama. This finely crafted look at a little-known sports pioneer should intrigue a wide audience of readers. -- School Library Journal Farnsworth imparts a strong sense of character and period by posing his slender, dignified, smooth-skinned athlete in old-time uniforms against hazy historical settings... -- Kirkus Reviews There are a number of books about the difficulties African American baseball players faced in their efforts to participate in America's pastime. Here's the story of a Native American, who also dealt with prejudice in the early days of the game... the story of the Penobscot boy who fell in love with baseball and endured the jeers and taunts of crowds and teammates is illustrated powerfully by Farnsworth, who uses oil paint and a golden sepia glow to evoke the time and the sport. -- Booklist Sockalexis encountered racial taunts, injury and the disapproval of his father to become one of the best players - and certainly one of the greatest Native players - in baseball history... This is a wonderful scripted narrative of one of the early pioneers in Native American sports history, suitable for every boy and girl who dreams of diamond glory. -- Native Peoples A Penobscot Indian, Louis played briefly for the Cleveland Spiders in the late 1890s. Racism followed him wherever he competed, but he proved that he belonged in the sport not only with his bat and glove, but with his quiet dignity and courage... Bill Farnsworth's warm oil paintings shed light on the story. An inspiring tale, much like that of Jackie Robinson. -- Plain Dealer Carter G. Woodson Award, National Council for the Social Studies Notable Books for a Global Society, International Reading Association (IRA) Children's Book Award, International Reading Association (IRA) Myers Outstanding Book Awards - Honorable Mention, Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators Distinguished Children's Biography List, Cleveland Public Library

Author Information

Bill Wise, an avid baseball fan, is also the author of Lee & Low's Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy. Wise and his family live in Gorham, Maine. Bill Farnsworth is the illustrator of more than fifty children's books. His work has received numerous awards and honors, including Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, and selection for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. Farnsworth's warmly-lit oil paintings gracefully illuminate the Maine landscape and Sockalexis's days on the baseball diamond. Farnsworth lives with his family in Venice, Florida. Visit him online at billfarnsworth.com.

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