It's baseball time!

Summer is here and I can’t wait to see the Madison Mallards in action! Luckily, I can enjoy a great baseball story even outside the Duck Pond thanks to a new book, She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story. When Effa was a young woman, there were certain jobs women just didn’t have, and African Americans faced a lot of discrimination, even in their own neighborhoods. But Effa was not about to let other people tell her what she could and couldn’t do—she stood up for her beliefs and organized her community to make things better. She also organized tirelessly for the baseball team she owned, the Newark Eagles, a team in the Negro National League. There was nowhere she’d rather be than in the stands, cheering on her amazing players.  Effa might not have played on the team but she sure was amazing off the field—read this book and you’ll be cheering for Effa Manley, a true all-American heroine!

Learn more about the talented players of the Negro National League in We Are the Ship (by Kadir Nelson) and for more about women in baseball, try Dirt on Their Skirts (by Doreen Rappaport), Players in Pigtails (by Shana Corey), and Mighty Jackie (by Marissa Moss)—all great picture books for advanced readers.