Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
A young girl is inspired by her grandmother's story of how she grew up loving baseball, but had to stay "outside the fence" when the boys played because "girls in the forties didn't play baseball." When given the chance, however, she could really hit and throw, always imagining she was Josh Gibson, hero of the Negro League. One day the boys' team is short a member and calls on her. Even in her pink dress and Mary Janes she comes through just like her hero. The grandmother still has the ball from that game, along with the memories of the cheers. But although the race barrier in baseball has fallen, the author notes, the gender barrier still exists. See the new Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen by Marissa Moss, illustrated by C.F. Payne (Simon & Schuster, 2004) for an interesting comparison. Peck uses pastels effectively to create the vivacity of youngsters at play. Double-page scenes depict the events of the brief text but extend them with simple settings that are proper backdrops for the drama of youthful energy and spiritual assurance. The vigorous strokes of chalk create emotionally charged reality. The author has added facts about the life of Josh Gibson. 2004, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 24))
Peck's strong, evocative pastels with their vintage look are just right for Johnson's home run of a story. A girl tells of her Grandmama's birth and how her dad said his new baby would play just like the great Negro League catcher Josh Gibson. And so she did, practicing her hitting even though girls didn't play baseball in the '50s-except for one Fourth of July, when her cousin Danny's injury leaves an opening on his team. Grandmama hit the ball, caught the ball, and stole home-"just like Josh Gibson." The action takes place in memory, while the girl and her grandmother sit at a kitchen table with a photograph, bat, glove, and ball. An end note offers a brief bio of Gibson and makes reference to two female players who also have splendid picture books about them: Alta Weiss, who played pro ball in Deborah Hopkinson's Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings (p. 232) and Jackie Mitchell, who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back-to-back in Marissa Moss's upcoming Mighty Jackie, the Strike-out Queen. Johnson never disappoints; in this one memory, family stories and baseball braid together a sweetly powerful and slyly subversive tale. 2004, Simon & Schuster, $15.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 6 to 9. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 7))
A little girl proudly recounts Grandmama’s story of how, when she was a little girl herself, she worshiped Negro League star Josh Gibson and wanted to play just like him. Baseball was in her breeding and her blood: "Grandmama says her papa showed up on that same day, the day she was born, with a Louisville slugger and a smile. He said his new baby would make baseballs fly." And so she did, stepping up to the plate every time the boys would let her into the game. Although her talent was beyond question, family and neighbors would regretfully comment, "Too bad she’s a girl." But she got her chance when a cousin broke his arm and she was temporarily drafted onto the team: "Grandmama hit the ball a mile that day, caught anything that was thrown, and did everything else--just like Josh Gibson." Peck’s thickly applied pastels raise the dusty dirt diamond in front of the rural frame homes, rail fence, and outhouse to the dignity of a pro field, and the enthusiasm from the stands speaks of a close-knit community that takes its baseball, and its children, seriously. In a closing note Johnson tells a bit more about Gibson, the institutionalized racism that kept him from competing in the Majors, and his posthumous Hall of Fame recognition. Although racism is clearly a factor in Gibson’s story, it’s gender discrimination within the sport that sticks in Grandmama’s--and Johnson’s--craw. After reviewing the achievements of several women players, she notes that "the major leagues is still strictly boys only." Children who cheer scrawny, pink-frocked Grandmama as she slugs ’em out of the field just like her scrappy idol might want to raise a little Cain on the issue themselves. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Simon, 32p, $15.95. Ages 5-8 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
When Grandmama was young, she could hit, run, and catch just like her idol, Negro League baseball player Josh Gibson, but she wasn't allowed to play on the boys' team. With thoughtful, understated text, Johnson captures a little girl's eventual triumph while inviting readers to consider the cost of exclusion based on race or gender. The atmospheric pastel illustrations bring the 1940s to life. Category: Picture Books. 2004, Simon, 32pp, $15.95. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.