Willie and the All-Stars

by Floyd Cooper

Growing up in 1942 Chicago, Willie dreams of playing in the Major Leagues, but the color barrier in pro baseball is years away from being broken. After Willie hears stories about players he's never... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399233407
• ISBN13: 9780399233401
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 6 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 3

Customer Reviews

This is a marvelous story of a young boy's dreams about playing baseball in a league that did not we

When Willie was a young boy, he was a dreamer. A radio and a baseball made of "tape and string" were just the beginning of a dream that would eventually come true. Grandma was a baseball fan and Willie quickly followed in her footsteps. Everything in his life centered around baseball, baseball, baseball. When they listened to radio, he closed his eyes and transported himself to Wrigley field. He always "pretended he was playing baseball no matter what he was doing." His "baseball" would be clutched in his hands as he hit home runs, stole bases and raised his hand to the adoring crowds. Only one little problem would stop his dreams . . . Willie was not the right color for the Major Leagues. Outside his building Willie would sit on the stoop listening to the old men tell tall tales about who he thought were fictitious men. Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell and Josh Gibson sounded just a bit too phenomenal to be real, but in spite of the tall tales they really were players. Willie asked Mr. Wilson why he'd never heard about them on the radio and was told, "That's because they're Negro League players." Willie and his buddy Sean O'Carroll still had dreams together, but Willie's were a bit more subdued until Ol' Ezra gave them a very special gift, a gift that would give Willie hope. This was a marvelous story of dreams that somehow only the very young can envision for themselves. I loved the aura of youthful hope both the story and the artwork conveyed. The artwork was beautiful and the oil paintings had that special touch that made the scenery appear surreal and "vintage." Set in 1942, this story talks about the dreams of a boy, but is very realistic about the social inequities at the time. For example Willie and Sean "had to drink from separate water fountains at the park." In the back of the book the author briefly talks about the "untold dreams that were snuffed out" and the emergence of the Negro Leagues.

Step Up to the Plate For This Book!

This book is a real gem and no doubt will become a classic one day. Set in Chicago in 1942, a 10-year-old boy named Willie lives with his grandmother and loves the Chicago Cubs. An avid baseball fan, he and his grandmother gather round the radio to listen to the games while Willie dreams of becoming a Major League ballplayer. Willie is very resourceful. He plays street baseball with the neighborhood kids and whenever he and his grandmother go to the store, he pretends that local landmarks are bases and that he is playing for the Cubs. One day, Willie hears several men on his block discussing Negro League ballplayers. Willie has never heard of Satchel Paige, Papa Bell and other Negro Leaguers. Willie wonders why he has never heard of these players if they aren't in the Major Leagues. The men explain bigotry to Willie; they explain that regardless of a player's ability, the player is only accepted by Major League teams if that player is white. Sadly, Willie takes his newfound knowledge to his friend Sean, who says they'll start a team and play together. They aren't bigots! Something wonderful happens. Willie's neighbor gives him two tickets to a Cubs game. Excited, Willie and Sean attend, cheering their hearts out. The Cubs are playing a Negro League Team! (This was five years before Jackie Robinson was accepted by Manager Branch Ricky as a Dodger, thus ending the color bar in baseball). As wonderful as that game is, it is what happens at the end of the game that will resonate in the hearts and minds of readers. If you enjoy good baseball and history, you will love this book. It is a major league winner! Baseball Saved Us is an ideal companion book to this one.