Module 7: You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!

Summary:

This is a biography of Willie Mays.  It begins with young Willie listening to a Yankees a game.  His hero is Joe Dimaggio and he dreams to play for the Yankees.  The book explains how Willie learns to play with his father, but is more or less a natural at the game.  He is recruited by  a team in the National Negro League and gets to explore the United States travelling with the Birmingham Barons.  Eventually, the color barrier is broken and Willie Mays becomes a Giant.  The book covers some of his most important plays, like “The Throw” and “The Catch” that change perceptions. 

APA Reference:

Winter, J. (2013). You never heard of Willie Mays?! NY: Schwarz and Wade.

Impression:

I really enjoyed this book.  The story is told in vernacular speech and is accompanied by beautiful illustrations.  Particularly special are the two radio broadcast that are the actual words spoken over the air.  This book has become a favorite in our house. 

Professional Review:

Winter and Widener, who previously teamed up on Steel Town, return with a stellar companion to Winter's equally superb YouNever Heard of Sandy Koufax?! Like its predecessor, this profile of Hall of Famer Mays immediately grabs attention with its lenticular cover; however, it's Mays's on-the-field feats that cement his place in baseball lore, especially that unbelievable catch during the 1954 World Series. Growing up in Birmingham, Ala., Mays "was the kid all the other kids wanted on their team." Before long, his talent is recognized and, at age 15, he got his start in the Negro Leagues. "Suddenly, this teenage kid was makin' mote money than his pop," writes Winter in the colloquial voice of a practiced raconteur. "And when, the year after that, the major leagues ended their stupid rule barrin' black guys, there was a ray of hope that one day Willie might play in the majors, like Joe DiMaggio." Widener's smoky, smudgy acrylics project the determination and dedication that took Mays from industrial, segregated Birmingham to the national stage. A must-have for baseball fans. 

You never heard of willie mays?!. (2012).  Publishers Weekly, 259(49), 73-74.

Library Use:

This book would be great for introducing the idea of credible websites.  In the back of the book, Winter lists the websites he used for information.  I would visit  a few of the website with the students and examine how we know it is a credible source.  Then the students could search for more information on Willie Mays and evaluate the credibility of the websites they found.