How did I not know who Mighty Jackie The Strike-Out Queen was? I have two girls who play softball. We have a small collection about softball heroes. We are huge fans of the movie, A League of Their Own. I'm grateful for my teammate who brought this book to me and said, "you will love this book." She was right! I'm so happy Marissa Moss told the story of Jackie Mitchell.
Jackie Mitchell was a girl who played major league baseball and in 1931 struck out Baby Ruth and Lou Gehrig; baseball legends. Jackie loved baseball as a little girl and faced stereotypical challenges growing up; girls didn't play baseball yet alone pitch baseballs. Jackie's story shows readers strength, going against the grain, stepping outside typical gender roles in our society, and perseverance, practice pays off, and courage.
The actual account of April 2, 1931 makes this the perfect read aloud to be a baseball sports announcer. I could see my students inch closer with inflection and urgency to find out what Jackie would do. Unfortunately, after this big game Jackie was banded from playing major and minor league baseball. She continued playing with minor leagues that were so small the commissioner didn't pay attention to them. The illustrations by C. F. Payne matched the text and created empathy for each of my students. They were shocked an event like this could happen in history. They felt passion for women's rights and wanted Mighty Jackie to continue playing major league baseball.
Thank you Alyson at Kid Lit Frenzy for hosting this weekly sharing.
I continue to be saddened by the fact that we haven't heard of these 'mighty women' in our history before more recently. I'm glad you found this for your own family, Mandy, and then shared! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have a co-worker who will definitely enjoy this. Rhanka for sharing.
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