Nonfiction and Biography-Review

We Are The Ship

Words and Paintings By:

Kadir Nelson

A. Bibliographic Data

Nelson, Kadir. 2008. We Are The Ship.Ill. by Kadir Nelson. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

ISBN: 978-0-7868-0832-8

B. Plot Summary

We Are The Ship is a nonfiction story informing the reader about Negro League Baseball. Negro League Baseball was played for 50 years during the period of segregation when black baseball players were not allowed to play professional baseball with white players. So the Negro Baseball League was formed. The book takes the reader through the timeline of the league, starting with how the league was formed. The book talks in detail about the life of a player in the league, and also highlights famous players and their accomplishments. The book closes with a chapter about the big move when Jackie Robinson joined the professional league and became the first African American to integrate and play with white players.

C. Critical Analysis

We Are The Ship is an amazing story and teaches a lesson of history that has appeared to be forgotten. The organization of the book is broken up into 9 chapters, which are titled innings instead of chapters. The display of bibliographic information in the back of the book lets the reader know they are reading about information that is accurate. The style of the book is written in 1st person making the reader to believe that a player in the league actual wrote the book or is telling the story.

The overall design or paintings in the book is what makes it so extraordinary. Nelson's paintings are unbelievable in capturing the attitude and emotions of the players. When thumbing through the book you are captivated by these detailed emotional pieces of artwork displaying the players in the league. We Are The Ship is much more than a nonfiction book about history, it is a book about perseverance and teaches the reader that change is not always a bad thing.

D. Awards Won

*Coretta Scott King Award

* The Robert F. Sibert Medal

Horn Book Review-"Imagine listening to baseball legends Willie Mays and Ernie Banks swapping stories about their Negro League days as they sit in the stands, munching on peanuts and watching Ken Griffey Jr. launch a curve ball into the stratosphere. That kind of easygoing, conversational storytelling is exactly what Kadir Nelson achieves in this pitch-perfect history of Negro League baseball. “Seems like we’ve been playing baseball for a mighty long time. At least as long as we’ve been free,” the narrator says. Nelson’s collective “we” honors “the voice of every player,” as he explains in an author’s note, and it also works to draw readers into and through the text’s nine “innings.” Nelson’s extensive research (including interviews with former players) yields loads of attention-grabbing details: how much money players made; where, when, and how often games took place; who the standout owners, managers, and players were; and so on. And not surprisingly, he often returns to the impact of racism on the leagues, teams, and individual athletes. His grand slam, though, is the art: Nelson’s oil paintings have a steely dignity, and his from-the-ground perspectives make the players look larger than life. The book also includes a foreword by Hank Aaron, an Extra Innings section identifying Hall-of-Fame Negro Leaguers, a bibliography, endnotes, and an index."-Horn Book Review

E. Connections

*Students create and display a timeline about the Negro Baseball League.

*Students can research and present individual reports about an individual player in the Negro Baseball League.

*Study and observe other books and artwork by Kadir Nelson.