Laurie Floyd
Biography Bibliography
Children’s Literature 547
November 20, 2011
A biography collection of Jackie Robinson would accomplish a few goals. February is Black
History Month and Jackie Robinson biographies would fit in well with the academic goals of that month.
Biographies of Robinson would also be useful in character education curriculums and units on
biographies as a literary genre. Finally, especially boys tend to have a high interest in baseball,
biographies of Robinson may entice reluctant readers.
Adler, D.A. (1994). A picture book of Jackie Robinson. New York: Holiday House.
Author David Adler has many picture book biographies, including one on Jackie Robinson. There are
several different illustrators that work with Adler but Robert Casilla works with him on this book (as well
as several others) and is one of the more effective illustrator that has worked with Adler. The drawings
are realistic and show the emotions of the moment represented. The text is simple but intended for 1st
to 3rd graders, and does cover all the important points of Jackie’s life, including his court martial in the
army. There is also a timeline and an author’s note at the end of the book that puts Robinson’s
achievements into historical perspective.
Burleigh, R. (2007). Stealing home Jackie Robinson: Against the odds. New York: Simon and Schuster.
The oil painting illustrations in this book are gorgeous and focus in on various scenes of a real World
Series game in 1955 that the Dodgers played against the Yankees. The book has two narratives; the
drawings and short text is of a single stolen base that Robinson pulled off. The drawings are truly the
strength of this book. The tension and emotions are evident on each page. Below the short text on each
page there is box with further information that focuses on Robinson’s life and achievements. The
information covers all important points but in a disjointed way.
Herman, G. ( 2011). Who was Jackie Robinson? New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
This book is part of a long biography series, written by different authors, of famous historical figures.
The book is intended for 3rd grade and up and the text is extremely readable and engaging. The
drawings are only ink drawn and do not tell the emotions of the story. There are several text boxes
throughout that share important information about baseball in general, the civil rights movement and
statistics of Robinson’s career. A major criticism of the book is the cover. The font and drawing of the
cover makes it look like a baby book when in fact the inside is relevant and informational to young
readers.
Krensky, S. (2011). Play ball, Jackie! Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.
Krensky’s book is a picture book intended for 2nd to 4th graders. It is the story of Robinson’s first game
for the Dodgers in 1947. A young boy and his father are attending because of the prejudice of someone
who did not want to go and see a black man play baseball and therefore gave his tickets away. The book
is mainly about that first game but it does put the integration of baseball into historical perspective and
it relates how immigrants are often treated in this country to how African Americans were treated. The
illustrations are broad characterizations and sometimes a bit jarring but also intense. There are real
photos at the end of the book, as well as an author’s note that provides more information on Robinson’s
life and a bibliography of books and websites for further information.
Robinson, S. (2002). Jackie’s nine: Jackie Robinson’s values to live by. New York: Scholastic.
Robinson, S. (2004). Promises to keep: How Jackie Robinson changed America. New York: Scholastic.
Both of these books were written by Jackie Robinson’s daughter, Sharon. Promises to Keep is a
biography that is jam packed with personal and public photographs, as well as personal correspondence
of Robinson’s. It is intended for grades 4-7. It does an excellent job of describing segregation and the
multiple obstacles that African Americans faced in the United States post Civil War. There is also
discussion of many other important black leaders and artists. The text about Jackie himself is obviously
the most personal of all of the biographies about his life. The insight into how he felt and how he dealt
with the things he faced is priceless, especially in light of how young he lost his life.
Jackie’s Nine is intended for older students, 12 and up, and it probably best serves the purpose for
character education. The book offers personal narratives of Jackie Robinson as well as others (for
example, Christopher Reeve and Daisy Bates) of how they overcame barriers using important values like
courage, justice, commitment, etc. Sharon Robinson introduces many of the chapters and shares her
own recollections of her father and her family. There are photographs sprinkled throughout. This book
truly focuses on the legacy of Robinson in all aspects of life and is incredibly uplifting.
Stout, G. (2006). Jackie Robinson. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
This book is included because it is part of the Matt Christopher series of sports books (although
Christopher died in 1997). There are many books that offer a straightforward biography of Robinson like
this one does. However, this one was chosen because of Christopher’s name on the cover. Many boys
are familiar with (and love) Christopher’s fiction and may be willing to pick up this book because of his
name on the cover. The text is interesting and does an excellent job of describing all of the racism that
Robinson faced before, during, and after his career in baseball. There are also photos included but no
index for students to find specific information that they may be looking for. It is intended for grades 4
and up.