CHAMPIONS ON THE BEACH

In 1955, African-Americans were playing in the major leagues, but much of America remained segregated. The Cannon Street YMCA fielded the only all-black, official Little League teams in South Carolina. At the end of the season, their all-star team was set to play in the state tournament that would lead to the national play-offs. But racism reared its head and all the white teams refused to play them, holding their own tournament instead, without sanction by the Little League organization. The Cannon Street team, state champions via forfeit, was invited to the World Series as spectators only. Weatherford treats the tale as memoir. Cleveland, a fictional member of the team, narrates the events and the “what-ifs” without bitterness, but with a sense of frustration and loss, still retaining a love for the game. Jenkins’s strong illustrations, rendered in pencil, acrylic and spray paint, bring everything vividly to life. There is no happy ending, but rather a bittersweet recognition that wrongs cannot always be made right. (Picture book. 7-10)