I'm a baseball fan (Go, Brewers!). Among the many reasons that the past year was notable, missing out on a normal baseball season (fill-in-the-blank with any/all sports) is NOT at the level of a tragedy. On the other hand, as various sports managed to resume some version of a season (again, in the sport of your choice) that fact did seem to provide considerable relief and release for the much of the American public.
In the case of baseball, even with a retractable dome over our home field, the players are widely spread out the open air, which is a central feature of the game, and attendance capacity has been set at 25%.
So, YAY!
Regardless of whether or not this is a typical season, the start of baseball season is a certain a sign of SPRING as anyone could ask for: of warmer weather, of gatherings, of better days ahead. Even if tailgates are not allowed. Even if masks and distances and food management feel less than typical, I said it before, and i say it again: YAY!
In the name of retaining my own traditions, I am eager to share several baseball picture books on OPENING DAY. And this time it is in celebration of a young woman who embraced what was meant to be a derogatory nickname, PEANUT.
MAMIE ON THE MOUND is written by Leah Henderson and illustrated by George Doutsiopoulos. Mamie "PEANUT" Johnson was a baseball fan from her earliest days, and she loved pitching. She WORKED at it, building up the muscles, eye-hand coordination, and confidence to [play with the boys, then alter the men. That nickname indicates thatch had to earn their respect, and she did. She was NOT able to play with the elite women players, who also had some impressive skills.
Was she good enough? Certainly.
Was she White? Certainly not.
So, her baseball option was limited to trying out and playing with the Negro League, which she did. Even as a young mother, she left her baby in the care of the father while she traveled the Negro league circuit for three years before stepping away. the rest of her life was successful, but throughout her life she counted those three years as the best of her life.
What a terrific profile this is of a young woman who would not take no for an answer. Mamie’s love of baseball and her confidence in her value, talent, and hard work meant that every NO she faced was met with a work-around or determination to make her way beyond the obstacles.
I've shared other baseball picture books, as I mentioned above. Check out some of them
While you're at it, consider giving this lively, inspiring picture book a look, too!
HOME BASE: A Mother-Daughter Story , written by Nikki Tate and illustrated by Kathi Kath. It's a charming STEM/STEAM/MAKER -linked text that uses parallels in text, word choice/order, and illustration to portray a young girl seeking to succeed at baseball with her mother pursuing a job/career in construction/hardscaping. Their emotional, physical, and social journeys to success are well developed and encourage prediction, connection, and "read it again" fun.
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