In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
by Bette Bao Lord
(Audio & Paper)
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/12670648
I first learned of this book in a roundabout sort of way. There was a banner in my library with children's book illustrations on it, and I could identify all the images except two. After some detective work on the BookCrossing forum, I learned that the image came from this book. A kind BookCrosser even sent me a copy, but it took me a while to read it.
I'm not a huge baseball fan, nor am I an immigrant. But I could still relate to this character's feelings of being an outsider and needing something to be excited about. It was wonderful watching Shirley Temple Wong adapt to a completely new culture and way of doing things, learn English, make friends, create new opportunities for her parents, find her place at school, and fall in love with baseball and the spectacular rookie Jackie Robinson. When she gets to meet him at the end of the year, I was thrilled. The idea of race and culture is dealt with so easily and honestly in this book from a kid's perspective. And when Jackie Robinson tells her that one day a woman would be president, I shed a few tears.
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: A book set around a holiday other than Christmas