First in the field: Baseball hero Jackie Robinson

by Derek T. Dingle

As an African-American, Jackie Robinson had to fight for his rights again and again until he broke the Major League's color line. "First in the Field" explores the early years of this baseball legend, as he paved the way for other African Americans in professional sports, and made a place for himself in American history. Dozens of color photos .

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important story. I think it's audience would prefer it in a chapter book format without losing the graphics. I have a hard time getting my older students to check out picture books, but they love biographies.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully detailed and researched, the life story of Jackie Robinson is shared. Highly recommend for all baseball fans and frankly, sports fans. The book highlights his influence over all sports becoming integrated.

[Leah Sidell · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in the field is a biography about the first African American major league baseball player, Jackie Robinson. This book goes into detail about the discrimination Jackie Robinson faced and how his faith made him competitive enough to keep going and never give up. Their is also a timeline in the back of the book on the milestones in black sports starting from 1619 all the way to 1997. I would read this book to my students during Black History Month and because this is a long book with a lot of words, I would read a few pages each day. After finishing this book we will have a discussion on what we learned about Jackie Robinson. I will then have my students write their own biography and include everything they can remember about themselves. This is good practice for the students to write different forms of writing.