Jackie Robinson: Strong Inside and Out

by Denise Lewis Patrick

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play baseball in the modern major leagues. That may not seem like a big deal today -- but in 1947 it was a very big deal. Until Jackie stepped up to the plate, African Americans couldn't play on most professional sports teams. TIME For Kids® Biographies help make a connection between the lives of past heroes and the events of today. Because of Jackie's courage and perseverance, people of all colors now participate in America's favorite pastime. Jackie worked hard and proved to the world that it's your character and talent -- not the color of your skin -- that really matters.

Genres: Biography, Childrens, Sports, African American

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jaclyn Giordano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time for Kids: Jackie Robinson: Strong Inside and Out by Denise Lewis Patrick and the editors of “Time for Kids” is a chapter book biography intended for readers in grades two through four. I gave it four stars. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play baseball for a modern major-league team. This chapter book follows Jackie’s life as it takes the reader from his home as a young boy in California, to his college years at UCLA, to his years fighting in World War II, to his participation in Major League Baseball, and to his retirement. Facts are written in a simple and straightforward manner, allowing the reader to really make meaning and take away information from the text. The story is inset with real photographs of Jackie and his family, fast facts about baseball, and the history of Civil Rights in the United States. Readers can see and feel the historical connection between Jackie’s participation in major league baseball and how the country reacted to him. This book’s layout is appealing and magazine-like, allowing the reader to stay engaged and motivated with short and manageable sections of text and illustrations. Jackie’s determination and drive to play baseball and look past all who were prejudice against him, to truly be “strong inside and out” will connect with readers to always keep trying, even in the face of hardship. For, at the end of a hard path, there can be happiness, just as there was for Jackie Robinson!

[Alex Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used for Final

In this biography about Jackie Robinson, it begins in Georgia were his grandparents lived as slaves and follows his family as they move west in hopes of better lives. Jackie played football, baseball, basketball, and ran track while he was at UCLA, but eventually left to find a job. This was around the time of the Pearl Harbor bombing, so he joined the military. He eventually asked to be released from the military due to racial events. While he was looking for a job, he came across the Negro League baseball in Kansas City. He eventually gained the attention of Dodger’s owner Branch Rickey who was looking for the right African American player to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Eventually Jackie would promise Rickey that he would not fight back for all the negative attention he would receive from fans and other teams while playing in the MLB. Jackie would go on to win Rookie of the Year in his first year in the big leagues and led the way for people of color to play in Major League Baseball.

This is a higher level read for elementary school students and will bring about more advanced topics and questions. I think it is important to discuss events like this and baseball is something easy to relate to and generate the conversation into more complex ideas. This book provides a lot of facts for students to read on their own if they were doing research on him or the sport.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a biography in the “TIME for Kids Biographies” series that also includes biographies of Harriet Tubman, John F. Kennedy, and Theodore Roosevelt. Intended for children ages 7-9, this biography is organized into chapters and includes a timeline of Jackie Robinson’s life. It includes many photographs (mostly black and white due to the time period discussed) that are identified with easy-to-read captions. This is a very readable biography full of interesting details of Jackie Robinson’s life from childhood until his death, emphasizing his baseball career and it’s effect allowing colored people to play on the white leagues and encouraging African Americans to fight for equal rights.

[Letitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself a bit of a black history buff. but this little book taught me some things I didn't know I didn't know Jackie's brother had won a Olympic silver medal. I didn't know he played all those different sports in college.

[Libby.dorger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a biography of the first African American professional baseball player Jackie Robinson. Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and like the United States, the sports world was also segregated. As the book explains, black baseball players had their own league, but Robinson was determined to change that. The book describes Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson’s upbringing in Georgia and how his family was one of the few black families in their town. He eventually went to UCLA where he ran track and played football, baseball, and basketball. He quit sports because African Americans could not play professionally and took a job as a sports director at a youth camp, but joined the army at the start of World War II. This was another time where race got in the way of Jackie’s future because blacks could not be officers in the army either. However, Jackie overcame this obstacle and became a lieutenant. After the army, he went back to sports and joined the Negro National League of baseball. He played for a few different teams, but eventually made his way to Brooklyn to start the 1947 season. On April 10, he had made it! Though he experienced a good deal of criticism, he won Rookie of the Year, and opened the door for many other African American ball players to join the major league. Jackie went on to become successful after retiring and had a family of his own. He died in 1972, but has made an indelible mark in the history of baseball.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about Jackie Robinson.