Featuring lively verse, fascinating facts, and archival photographs, here is a celebration of the Negro Leagues and the great players who went unrecognized in their time.

Imagine that you are an outstanding baseball player but banned from the major leagues. Imagine that you are breaking records but the world ignores your achievements. Imagine having a dream but no chance to make that dream come true.

This is what life was like for African American baseball players before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier. Meet Josh Gibson, called "the black Babe Ruth," who hit seventy-five home runs in 1931; James "Cool Papa" Bell, the fastest man in baseball; legendary Satchel Paige, who once struck out twenty-four batters in a single game; and, of course, Jackie Robinson, the first black player in Major League Baseball, and one of the greatest players of all time. 

Written by acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford with a foreword by Buck O'Neil, a Negro leagues legend whose baseball contributions spanned eight decades, this book is a home run for baseball and history lovers, and makes a great gift for both boys and girls.

Featuring lively verse, fascinating facts, and archival black-and-white photographs, this volume is a celebration of the Negro Leagues and the great players who went unrecognized in their time.

"Weatherford has collected a wealth of information and memorabilia from the earliest days through the Leagues' demise in 1963.... one doesn't need to be a baseball fan to be fascinated." —Kirkus Reviews

"An engaging overview, richly augmented by archival photographs... this title succeeds as a thoughtful introduction, capturing both the significance of the Negro Leagues and the accomplishments of its great players." —School Library Journal

"Public and school libraries will want to add this to their collections, as material on the Negro Leagues is fairly scarce for this age group." —Library Media Connection