Season 4 - Episodes 1 & 2 - A Baseball Adventure

A Baseball Adventure

A Baseball Adventure  is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group

Lauren and the Reading Bug start season 4 with a very special trip to see a very special baseball player - Jackie Robinson! Along with a new friend, Shane, they zip through Brooklyn, New York on their way to Ebbets Field for the big game!

Books Mentioned in this Podcast

Fiction: 
The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship Between a Boy and a Baseball Legend By Sharon Robinson Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780545804523
Availability: On Our Store Shelves Now
Published: Scholastic Paperbacks - August 29th, 2017

Stephen Satlow is an eight-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, New York, which means he only cares about one thing - the Dodgers. Steve and his father spend hours reading the sports pages and listening to games on the radio. Aside from an occasional run-in with his teacher, life is pretty simple for Steve. But then Steve hears a rumor that an African American family is moving to his all-Jewish neighborhood. It's 1948 and some of his neighbors are against it. Steve knows this is wrong. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before. Then it happens -- Steve's new neighbor is none other than Jackie Robinson! Steve is beyond excited about living two doors down from the Robinson family. He can't wait to meet Jackie. This is going to be the best baseball season yet! How many kids ever get to become friends with their hero?


Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) By Dan Gutman Cover Image
$9.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780380800841
Published: HarperCollins - February 2nd, 2000

Like every other kid in his class, Joe Stoshack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time. So, for his report, Joe decides to go back to meet one of the greatest baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, to find out what it was like to be the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Joe plans on writing a prize-winning report. But he doesn't plan on a trip that will for a short time change the color of his skin—and forever change his view of history and his definition of courage.


In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson By Bette Bao Lord, Marc Simont (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Bette Bao Lord, Marc Simont (Illustrator)
$5.99
ISBN: 9780064401753
Availability: On Our Store Shelves Now
Published: HarperCollins - April 2nd, 2019

A timeless classic that will enchant readers who love Jennifer L. Holm and Thanhha Lai, about an immigrant girl inspired by the sport she loves to find her own home team—and to break down any barriers that stand in her way.


One By Kathryn Otoshi Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9780972394642
Availability: On Our Store Shelves Now
Published: Ko Kids Books - October 1st, 2008

Blue is a quiet color. Red's a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count. As budding young readers learn about numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors, they also learn about accepting each other's differences and how it sometimes just takes one voice to make everyone count.


Non-Fiction: 
I am Jackie Robinson (Ordinary People Change the World) By Brad Meltzer, Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator) Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780803740860
Availability: In Our Warehouse - Expected arrival in 2-5 days
Published: Rocky Pond Books - January 8th, 2015

Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. But he lived at a time before the Civil Rights Movement, when the rules weren't fair to African Americans. Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became the first black player in Major League Baseball, and his bravery changed African-American history and led the way to equality in all sports in America.


Who Was Jackie Robinson? (Who Was?) By Gail Herman, Who HQ, John O'Brien (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Gail Herman, Who HQ, John O'Brien (Illustrator)
$6.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780448455570
Published: Penguin Workshop - December 23rd, 2010

As a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947 Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in major league baseball. It was tough being first- not only did "fans" send hate mail but some of his own teammates refused to accept him. Here is an inspiring sports biography, with black-and-white illustrations throughout.


42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American Hero By Doreen Rappaport Cover Image
$6.99
ISBN: 9781536206326
Availability: In Our Warehouse - Expected arrival in 2-5 days
Published: Candlewick - March 12th, 2019

Baseball, basketball, football — no matter the game, Jackie Robinson excelled. His talents would have easily landed another man a career in pro sports, but such opportunities were closed to athletes like Jackie for one reason: his skin was the wrong color. Settling for playing baseball in the Negro Leagues, Jackie chafed at the inability to prove himself where it mattered most: the major leagues. Then in 1946, Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, recruited Jackie Robinson.


The Greatest Ballpark Ever: Ebbets Field and the Story of the Brooklyn Dodgers By Mr. Bob McGee Cover Image
$36.95
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780813536019
Published: Rivergate Books - June 22nd, 2005

Generations after its demise, Ebbets Field remains the single most colorful and enduring image of a baseball park, with a treasured niche in the game's legacy and the American imagination. In this lively story of sports, politics, and the talented, hilarious, and charming characters associated with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Bob McGee chronicles the ballpark's vibrant history from the drawing board to the wrecking ball, beginning with Charley Ebbets and the heralded opening in 1913, on through the eras that followed. McGee weaves a story about how Ebbets Field's architectural details, notable flaws, and striking facade brought Brooklyn and its team together in ways that allowed each to define the other.


Jackie Robinson: He Led the Way (Penguin Young Readers, Level 3) By April Jones Prince, Robert Casilla (Illustrator) Cover Image
$4.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780448447216
Published: Penguin Young Readers - December 27th, 2007

Jackie Robinson became the first black Major League baseball player of the modern era when he stepped onto the field as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1947. In simple, engaging language, this book follows Jackie from childhood through his career as an MVP?award winning baseball player and a hero of the civil rights movement. This book is perfect for Black History Month and the start of spring training!


Other Great Books for You to Explore: 
The Missing Baseball (Zach and Zoe Mysteries, The #1) By Mike Lupica Cover Image
$6.99
ISBN: 9780425289372
Availability: On Our Store Shelves Now
Published: Viking Books for Young Readers - May 1st, 2018

The Lucky Baseball Bat By Matt Christopher, Robert Henneberger (Illustrator) Cover Image
$6.99
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780316531320
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - April 2nd, 2019

Full STEAM Baseball: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics of the Game (Full Steam Sports) By N. Helget Cover Image
$7.95
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781543530421
Published: Capstone Press - October 1st, 2018

Thank You, Jackie Robinson By Barbara Cohen, Richard Cuffari (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Barbara Cohen, Richard Cuffari (Illustrator)
$7.99
ISBN: 9780688152932
Availability: In Our Warehouse - Expected arrival in 2-5 days
Published: HarperCollins - April 24th, 1997

READING BUG ADVENTURES

A Story Podcast from The Reading Bug

Listen on Google Play Music