Review
------
In her torn dress and street shoes, Marcenia,
who is growing up in the 1920s, bests many of the boys on her
baseball team. But her her criticizes her 'tomboy' interests,
and a scout for a local baseball camp refuses to accept a girl on
the team. Marcenia vows to play hard and change the scout's mind,
and she finally wins a spot on the team. An afterword explains
that Marcenia grew up to become Toni Stone, the first woman to
play for a professional baseball team. [Hubbard's] story [is]
rich in dialogue and detail. She . . . write[s] with sensory
precision that conveys the thrilling feel of playing ('the
powdery taste of dust clouds'; 'the sting' of a baseball slamming
into a mitt), while DuBurke's textured ink and acrylic images
emphasize Marcenia's excitement on the field and yearning at
home. Children, especially girls, will cheer for Marcenia as she
defies the narrow expectations for young women of the time and
fiercely pursues her dream. --Booklist
Marcenia Lyle wants to be a professional baseball player. But as
an African-American female in the 1930s, she has many strikes
against her. Her parents are loving, but realistic about her
limited options. When the St. Louis Cardinals manager Gabby
Street forms a boys' baseball day camp, he refuses to consider
allowing her to join. However, Marcenia dazzles him with her
daring and skill until he agrees to let her join and even
supplies the baseball shoes she lacks. Hubbard [chooses] to
present a vignette . . . [and in the] afterword . . . the reader
learns the facts of Marcenia's real life as the first female
player on a professional baseball team. [DuBurke's] acrylic
illustrations beautifully enhance the text. --Kirkus Reviews
This anecdotal tale is based on the childhood of Marcenia "Toni
Stone" Lyle Alberga (1921-1996), who became the first woman to
play professional baseball. As a girl, Marcenia dreams only of
playing baseball, while her strict but loving parents suggest
that she stick to dolls and focus on school. One night she
overhears them ruefully acknowledge the limited options that lie
in store for most African-American girls: teaching, nursing, or
being a maid. Marcenia promises herself that she'll achieve her
goal. rtunity arrives in the form of Gabby Street, manager of
the St. Louis Cardinals, who runs a free baseball camp for kids.
He's impressed by her talent, but doesn't allow girls to
participate. The story ends with her acceptance into the camp and
her determination to make her dream come true. An afterword sums
up Lyle's name change and her career, including the fact that she
filled the spot vacated by Hank Aaron when he joined the Major
Leagues. Hubbard's lively text does a fine job of capturing this
young heroine's unquenchable spirit. DuBurke's balanced
pen-and-ink and acrylic artwork strongly supports the mood and
emotion of the text. Much like its winsome, pigtailed heroine,
this heartwarming picture book will inspire and engage dreamers
young and old. --School Library Journal
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Review
------
"This anecdotal tale is based on the childhood
of Marcenia "Toni Stone" Lyle Alberga (1921-1996), who became the
first woman to play professional baseball. As a girl, Marcenia
dreams only of playing baseball, while her strict but loving
parents suggest that she stick to dolls and focus on school. One
night she overhears them ruefully acknowledge the limited options
that lie in store for most African-American girls: teaching,
nursing, or being a maid. Marcenia promises herself that she'll
achieve her goal. rtunity arrives in the form of Gabby
Street, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, who runs a free
baseball camp for kids. He's impressed by her talent, but doesn't
allow girls to participate. The story ends with her acceptance
into the camp and her determination to make her dream come true.
An afterword sums up Lyle's name change and her career, including
the fact that she filled the spot vacated by Hank Aaron when he
joined the Major Leagues. Hubbard's lively text does a fine job
of capturing this young heroine's unquenchable spirit. DuBurke's
balanced pen-and-ink and acrylic artwork strongly supports the
mood and emotion of the text. Much like its winsome, pigtailed
heroine, this heartwarming picture book will inspire and engage
dreamers young and old." -School Library Journal
"In her torn dress and street shoes, Marcenia, who is growing up
in the 1920s, bests many of the boys on her baseball team. But
her her criticizes her 'tomboy' interests, and a scout for a
local baseball camp refuses to accept a girl on the team.
Marcenia vows to play hard and change the scout's mind, and she
finally wins a spot on the team. An afterword explains that
Marcenia grew up to become Toni Stone, the first woman to play
for a professional baseball team. [Hubbard's] story [is] rich in
dialogue and detail. She . . . write[s] with sensory precision
that conveys the thrilling feel of playing ('the powdery taste of
dust clouds'; 'the sting' of a baseball slamming into a mitt),
while DuBurke's textured ink and acrylic images emphasize
Marcenia's excitement on the field and yearning at home.
Children, especially girls, will cheer for Marcenia as she defies
the narrow expectations for young women of the time--and fiercely
pursues her dream." -Booklist
"Marcenia Lyle wants to be a professional baseball player. But as
an African-American female in the 1930s, she has many strikes
against her. Her parents are loving, but realistic about her
limited options. When the St. Louis Cardinals manager Gabby
Street forms a boys' baseball day camp, he refuses to consider
allowing her to join. However, Marcenia dazzles him with her
daring and skill until he agrees to let her join and even
supplies the baseball shoes she lacks. Hubbard [chooses] to
present a vignette . . . [and in the] afterword . . . the reader
learns the facts of Marcenia's real life as the first female
player on a professional baseball team. [DuBurke's] acrylic
illustrations beautifully enhance the text." -Kirkus Reviews
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About the Author
----------------
CRYSTAL HUBBARD first learned about
Marcenia "Toni Stone" Lyle Alberga while watching Ken Burns's
accled documentary Baseball. A former sports copy editor for
the Boston Herald, Hubbard eagerly delved deeper into the story
of the girl who dreamed of playing "a man's game." Hubbard is now
a fulltime writer. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and
their children. This was her first picture book.
RANDY
DUBURKE received the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for
New Talent in Illustration for his first book, The Moon Ring. He
is a full-time artist whose work has also appeared in D.C. and
Marvel comics, The New York Times Book Review, and Mad magazine.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, DuBurke now lives in Switzerland
with his wife and their two sons.
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