We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, with words and paintings by Kadir Nelson, is a unique and praiseworthy book. Nelson’s choice to make the voice of the narrator as a collective voice, the voice of we, the voice of all the players of the Negro Leagues, provides an instant immediacy for the reader. And the illustrations are simply beautiful works of art, capturing the power, pride, and dignity of the Negro League players. ( )

"We Are the Ship" is the story of the Negro Baseball League. Each section or "inning" tells about different aspects or groups of people that were involved in the League including the league owners, the league during wartime, and all-stars like Jackie Robinson. One of the most notable things about this book is the illustrations. They are stunning, detailed oil paintings that absolutely bring the book to life. This book is a multi-award winner including the Coretta Scott King Award and The Robert F. Sibert Award. This book is packed with information and could be shared with a wide range of students.

This book is geared towards older elementary students.

This book is about the history of African Americans and the league of baseball. The book talks about each individual player and highlights with beautiful illustration. ( )

Negro League founder, Rube Foster once said “we are the ship, all else the sea”. Kadir Nelson’s tells the story of the Negro Baseball League from it’s inception during the 1920s to the end after Jackie Robinson’s crossover to the Major Leagues in 1947. Nelson manages to narrate this story for many different sides, as players, league owners, bus drivers, and fans alike – share collectively the years these black players shared and played together. Some better than others, but all equally as important. This large hardcover book was one that includes extensive research and the footnotes to boot. The stunning images, some pages two-fold, will leave you breathless. ( )

This book tells the story of Rube Foster and his involvement in Negro League Baseball.This text pays tribute to the hardy African-American baseball players by focusing on the injustices that African American baseball players faced in the early 20's based on skin color. Specifically, from being paid close to nothing to having restaurants refuse to serve them meals before games, the Negro League players were discouraged from playing baseball. I would connect this text to history instruction by focusing on segregation and civil rights movements. Due to it's engaging and informational focus on racial prejudices, this book is likely intended for 4th to 7th graders. Personally, I enjoyed this book because it used colorful illustrations to inform it's readers about what colored athletes had to endure during that time period. ( )