From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3--When Jackie Mitchell was a pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, she made baseball history on April 2, 1931, by striking out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Moss begins this brief chronicle of the young woman's moment in the sun by setting the scene at the stadium that day, quoting the skepticism expressed by sports reporters. She then moves back to Mitchell's childhood and describes her early interest in the game and the support and encouragement offered by her father. When the scene returns to the big day, the author indulges in some minor fictionalizing as she imagines the teen's thoughts and feelings when she faced the baseball giants. The narrative captures the tension and excitement, and has the air of an experience remembered. Payne's mixed-media illustrations with their judicious use of sepia increase the nostalgic feel. Pair this title with Shana Corey's Players in Pigtails (Scholastic, 2003) or Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan's Dirt on Their Skirts (Dial, 2000) for a close look at a previously neglected piece of history.--Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 1-3. On April 2, 1931, in Tennessee, the New York Yankees played an exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. Their pitcher was a 17-year-old young woman named Jackie Mitchell, and that day she struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. In cadenced prose, Moss tells the story of the girl who was taught to play--and to win--by her father and Dazzy Vance, the Brooklyn Dodger. Moss sketches Jackie's background so that when she's on the mound, we know the talent and determination that go into each pitch. Payne has well and truly captured the tone with his wonderful pictures. Slightly exaggerated forms and vintage colors echo Thomas Hart Benton and 1930s newspaper photography. This is a powerful read-aloud. Use it alongside Deborah Hopkinson's Girl Wonder (2003), about the real pitcher Alta Weiss, and Shana Corey's Players in Pigtails (2003), about the fictional Katie Casey, the girl in "Take Me out to the Ball Game." It's another book that makes you wonder, "How come we didn't know about her?" GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
For as long as she could remember, Jackie Mitchell's father had told Jackie she could be good at whatever she wanted, as long as she worked at it. Jackie worked at baseball. She worked hard. And before long Jackie could outplay anyone in her neighborhood -- even the boys. She had one pitch -- a wicked, dropping curve ball. But no seventeen-year-old girl could pitch against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. It was unthinkable. Then on April 2, 1931, the New York Yankees stopped in Tennessee for an exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. And on that day Jackie Mitchell made baseball history. Marissa Moss tells a true story of determination and heroism, a gem of baseball history sure to inspire ballplayers of all ages. And C. F. Payne's vibrant, glorious illustrations make the golden age of baseball come alive.
About the Author
Marissa Moss is the author of Amelia's Notebook, an ABA Kids' Pick of the Lists and the first book in her beloved Amelia's Notebook series, as well as many popular picture books, including Rachel's Journal: The Story of a Pioneer Girl. Marissa Moss lives with her family in Berkeley, California.
Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen ANNOTATION
In 1931, seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell pitches against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game, becoming the first professional female pitcher in baseball history.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
For as long as she could remember, Jackie Mitchell's father had told Jackie she could be good at whatever she wanted, as long as she worked at it. Jackie worked at baseball. She worked hard. And before long Jackie could outplay anyone in her neighborhood -- even the boys.
She had one pitch -- a wicked, dropping curve ball. But no seventeen-year-old girl could pitch against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. It was unthinkable. Then on April 2, 1931, the New York Yankees stopped in Tennessee for an exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. And on that day Jackie Mitchell made baseball history.
Marissa Moss tells a true story of determination and heroism, a gem of baseball history sure to inspire ballplayers of all ages. And C. F. Payne's vibrant, glorious illustrations make the golden age of baseball come alive.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Delivered with the force of a hard fastball, the true story of athlete Jackie Mitchell makes a strong addition to Moss's (Amelia's Notebook) library of brave girl tales. Payne (Casey at the Bat) sets the stage with photo-real, fish-eye-distorted spreads of Jackie as a child, hurling baseballs long after nightfall and getting tips from Dodgers pitcher Dazzy Vance. Moss relays the details of then-17-year-old Jackie's April 2, 1931, game against the two best hitters of the day-Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig-with the blow-by-blow breathlessness of a sportscaster and the confidence of a seasoned storyteller: "Jackie held that ball like it was part of her arm, and when she threw it, she knew exactly where it would go." Payne's pictures mirror the text's immediacy. Close-ups show Ruth's face as he awaits Jackie's first pitch, then later his expression of dismay and outrage as the umpire calls "Strrrrike three!" Jackie disposes of Gehrig even more expeditiously, and the story ends as she basks in the cheers of fans who had jeered her only moments before. The wind seeps out of this jubilant moment when readers old enough to understand the end note discover that Jackie was immediately removed from her team and banned from baseball (the commissioner claimed his decision was for her own protection, as baseball was "too strenuous" for women, according to an author's note). Yet the drama of her two memorable strike-outs has a mythic dimension, and girls with sporting aspirations will be thrilled by Jackie's legacy. Ages 5-8. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
Moss takes us back to 1931 for a little-known piece of baseball history. The New York Yankees, with legendary players like Babe Ruth, are playing an exhibition game with the Chattanooga Lookouts, whose pitcher is, shocking for that time, a seventeen-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell. Despite the fact that girls weren't supposed to be able to play baseball, Jackie had always dreamed of playing in the World Series. She grew up practicing constantly. In the game, she triumphantly strikes out both the mighty Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The author's note, following Jackie's career even after the baseball commissioner voided her contract to protect her because baseball was "too strenuous" for a woman, is frustratingly anti-climactic after the thrill of her success. Payne's full-page and double page mixed-media illustrations look like grainy color photographs as they add zip to the scenes. Even more compelling are the perspectives he uses; right behind Jackie as she pitches at Babe Ruth; looking down from the stands as Gehrig strikes out; straight into the eyes of Ruth, and, on the jacket/cover, Jackie herself. These pictures drive home the emotional content that makes us want to stand up and cheer. 2004, A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Ages 5 to 8.
Library Journal
K-Gr 3-When Jackie Mitchell was a pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, she made baseball history on April 2, 1931, by striking out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Moss begins this brief chronicle of the young woman's moment in the sun by setting the scene at the stadium that day, quoting the skepticism expressed by sports reporters. She then moves back to Mitchell's childhood and describes her early interest in the game and the support and encouragement offered by her father. When the scene returns to the big day, the author indulges in some minor fictionalizing as she imagines the teen's thoughts and feelings when she faced the baseball giants. The narrative captures the tension and excitement, and has the air of an experience remembered. Payne's mixed-media illustrations with their judicious use of sepia increase the nostalgic feel. Pair this title with Shana Corey's Players in Pigtails (Scholastic, 2003) or Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan's Dirt on Their Skirts (Dial, 2000) for a close look at a previously neglected piece of history.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Unlike most girls, Jackie Mitchell was encouraged to play baseball. Under the tutelage of her father and major-league pitcher Dazzy Vance and with endless practice and hard work, she became a formidable pitcher. In a 1931 exhibition game in Tennessee, she struck out superstars Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Although Moss provides a pitch-by-pitch description of the strikeouts, she leaves a lot of holes in the overall story. In an author's note, she does give some additional information about Jackie's later career, including an interesting bit about being banned from professional baseball, because "it is too strenuous for women." It's a pity that none of this is included in the body of the work-though treated as a vignette, it's fascinating. Payne's illustrations are delightful, depicting both Ruth and Gehrig accurately and adding a sense of fun to the proceedings, while maintaining the drama. Intriguing, but inadequate. (bibliography) (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10)
Art & Photography
Book Info
