Kathryne Beebe
In this engaging biography, we meet a hero who follows rules of his own making and plays the best game in a league where only the ball was white. A formal bibliography at the end and a baseball-cardlike page of vital statistics make this book somewhat sophisticated for the youngest fans, but readers of all abilities can enjoy dynamic illustrations and a story that sounds as if it's being told to you over the backyard fence.
— Riverbank Review
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This first collaboration between a husband-and-wife team offers an informal, anecdotal profile of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, one of the all-time great baseball players of the Negro League, the first black pitcher to play in the major leagues and the first black inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The author's style is conversational and flavorful: after explaining that Paige, the seventh of 12 children, earned money for his family by toting travelers' luggage at the train depot, she writes, "When dimes weren't enough, Leroy took to stealing. And when he could no longer run fast enough, it was stealing that caught him." Sent to reform school at age 12, Paige joined its baseball team and was thrilled to encounter "real leather balls (not the ones your mama made with a rock and a rag) and real wooden bats, too." Kids will enjoy her occasional hyperbole: "[When he stood on the mound], his foot looked to be about a mile long, and when he shot [the ball] into the air, it seemed to block out the sun. Satch's arm seemed to stretch on forever, winding, bending, twisting." Ransome's (Let My People Go) tightly edited, boldly hued oil paintings capture the on-field prowess as well as the personality of the quick-witted, feisty Paige. More sculptural than kinetic, they express the qualities of a man who often seemed larger than life. This vivid book is a fitting tribute to a baseball hero. Ages 6-10. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
PW called this informal, anecdotal profile of the first black pitcher to play in the major leagues and the first black inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame "a fitting tribute to a baseball hero." Ages 6-10. (Jan.)
School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-"Some say Leroy Paige was born six feet three and a half inches tall, 180 pounds, wearing a size fourteen shoe. Not a bit of truth to it." So begins this unaffected biography of the first African-American pitcher to play major league baseball and the first black Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Written with a storyteller's sense of rhythm and pacing, Paige's history will be best appreciated as a read-aloud. For example, describing life on the road, "From the first breath of spring till the cool rush of fall he would ride. Sometimes he joined his teammates on rickety old buses, bumping along on back roads studded with potholes so deep, players would have to hold on to their seats (and stomachs) just to keep from spilling into the aisles." Paige's frustration and anger with the limitations imposed on black players are mentioned, but emphasis is placed on his talents, popularity, and success. Ransome's rich oil illustrations establish a sense of time and place, reflecting the determination and excitement the man brought to the game. An obvious choice as a biography for younger readers and definitely of interest to baseball fans of all ages, this book is a worthy addition for any collection.-Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
