Who Was Jackie Robinson?
By: Gail Herman
Illustrated by: Nancy Harrison and John O'Brien
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Publication Date: December 2010
ISBN: 978-0448455570
Reviewed by: Sara Dawkins
Review Date: May 9, 2013
Providing quality of content and educational
material, the "Who Was..." series of books from Grosset & Dunlap
Publishing keeps our youth apprised of who has helped shape the world as it is
today. Gail Herman does an excellent job of writing for the younger generations
as she depicts the historical accounts of Jackie Robinson, the first African
American to play in Major League Baseball. Suitable for children eight years of
age and up, Herman covers the major events that happened in Jackie Robinson's
life that lead him to be one of many renowned hall-of-famers for his
contributions.
1. Historically Accurate - Within the 112 pages of this book, Herman covers Robinson's love of sports and how he aspired to be more. Using a great command of language that children are able to read at that level, Herman brings history into reality for young minds. The book depicts how harsh it had been for Robinson's family in the Deep South of Georgie during that time period.
2. Pictorial - As with all of the "Who Was..." series of books, each page seems to come alive with artist renditions of the content. While the image quality isn't created from more than mere sketches, those images still bring some of the story to life as children have a visual of what the content is pertaining to. This helps the child associate the content to real-life connections.
3. Informative - Within the book, Gail Herman provides the batting statistics of the famous Second Baseman. As accurate as his baseball card, Jackie Robinson's contribution to the Brooklyn Dodgers is well documented for children to read.
This book doesn't just cover who Robinson was as a player, but who he was as an African American dealing with the prejudices of the world during his debut in Major League Baseball in 1947. Herman sets the tone by providing other information that was pertinent to how much of a hero for civil rights Robinson was. In a non-offensive method, Herman informs her readers of the Jim Crowe Laws of the time which segregated people according to the color of their skin.
4. Research - As some may point out, all biographies have a great deal of research conducted in order to make them a truthful read. The research conducted by Gail Herman for this composition was anything short of amazing. Too much detail may lose the attention of the reader, but enough of a story-like feel to the pages keeps the attention of the reader. It takes an excellent command of English in order to make a biography feel more like a simple story for children than droll educational material that those same children would be bored from. Herman has proven that her techniques of engaging children are valid in this edition.
Gail Herman isn't new to the world of writing children's books. Her collection consists of a large selection of titles collaborating with a wide variety of authors. She has inspired many children with her works and adding her expertise to "Who Was Jackie Robinson" made for a great read for the younger audiences.
1. Historically Accurate - Within the 112 pages of this book, Herman covers Robinson's love of sports and how he aspired to be more. Using a great command of language that children are able to read at that level, Herman brings history into reality for young minds. The book depicts how harsh it had been for Robinson's family in the Deep South of Georgie during that time period.
2. Pictorial - As with all of the "Who Was..." series of books, each page seems to come alive with artist renditions of the content. While the image quality isn't created from more than mere sketches, those images still bring some of the story to life as children have a visual of what the content is pertaining to. This helps the child associate the content to real-life connections.
3. Informative - Within the book, Gail Herman provides the batting statistics of the famous Second Baseman. As accurate as his baseball card, Jackie Robinson's contribution to the Brooklyn Dodgers is well documented for children to read.
This book doesn't just cover who Robinson was as a player, but who he was as an African American dealing with the prejudices of the world during his debut in Major League Baseball in 1947. Herman sets the tone by providing other information that was pertinent to how much of a hero for civil rights Robinson was. In a non-offensive method, Herman informs her readers of the Jim Crowe Laws of the time which segregated people according to the color of their skin.
4. Research - As some may point out, all biographies have a great deal of research conducted in order to make them a truthful read. The research conducted by Gail Herman for this composition was anything short of amazing. Too much detail may lose the attention of the reader, but enough of a story-like feel to the pages keeps the attention of the reader. It takes an excellent command of English in order to make a biography feel more like a simple story for children than droll educational material that those same children would be bored from. Herman has proven that her techniques of engaging children are valid in this edition.
Gail Herman isn't new to the world of writing children's books. Her collection consists of a large selection of titles collaborating with a wide variety of authors. She has inspired many children with her works and adding her expertise to "Who Was Jackie Robinson" made for a great read for the younger audiences.
Author
Bio
Sara is an active nanny as well as an active
freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of http://www.nannypro.com/. Learn more about her
http://www.nannypro.com/blog/sara-dawkins/.
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