Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (Calkins Creek, 40 pages, grades 2-5). Roberto Clemente loved playing baseball as a boy in Puerto Rico and was thrilled to be scouted by the MLB. After a disappointing season in Montreal, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he became an All-Star and helped lead his team to the World Series in 1960 and 1971. He won twelve Gold Gloves, was the 1966 National League MVP, and the 1971 World Series MVP. Despite his success, Roberto often faced racism and discrimination. He corrected those who tried to call him Bob and spoke out against the segregation he endured during spring training in Florida. On September 30, 1972, Roberto became the 11th MLB player and the first Latino one to reach 3,000 hits. Includes notes from the author and illustrator, glossary, photos, bibliography, and timeline that tells about Roberto’s death in a plane crash on his way to deliver humanitarian aid to Nicaragua in December of 1972.
I’m ashamed to say that I thought Roberto Clemente was Dominican and that the only thing I knew about him was his death in a plane crash. This biography emphasizes his greatness in baseball, making clear the discrimination he faced and how he fought for justice for himself and other Black and Latino players. The illustrations by Caldecott honoree Rudy Gutierrez are beautiful and deserve a look from this year’s Caldecott committee. The author’s note adds a personal story, since she is a Cuban American sportswriter who has faced some of the same issues Roberto Clemente did.
The Soldier’s Friend: Walt Whitman’s Extraordinary Service in the American Civil War by Gary Golio, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Calkins Creek, 40 pages, grades 2-5). A look at a lesser-known part of Walt Whitman’s life, when he served as a volunteer nurse in the Civil War. After his brother was wounded, Walt traveled from New York to Virginia to visit him in the hospital. He was so moved by the soldiers he saw that he decided to move to Washington, DC to devote himself to caring for them. Most of what he did was simple: bringing treats, helping men write letters, talking with them, or just listening. Although he was a fervent supporter of the Union cause, he cared equally for soldiers from both sides. Lines from Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” are woven into the story. Includes photos and additional information about Walt Whitman and his Civil War experiences, along with a list of resources.
This touching story of Walt Whitman’s kindness and caring seems particularly relevant in today’s world when it’s easy to feel like it’s necessary to take sides or that one person can’t make a difference. The author notes at the end that Whitman may have visited as many as 25,000 soldiers, and while he couldn’t influence the outcome of the war, he found a way to express caring and kindness. Except for the lines from “Leaves of Grass,” there’s almost no mention of Walt Whitman’s poetry; it would have been nice to acknowledge his literary contributions in the story or back matter.
Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away by Andrew Larsen, foreword by Nelson Molina, illustrated by Oriol Vidal (Sourcebooks Explorer, 40 pages, grades 1-4). Nelson Molina was always a collector. His mostly Puerto Rican neighborhood in East Harlem yielded all kinds of treasures. His mom showed him how to turn scrap wood into birdhouses, and Nelson enjoyed fixing up cast-off toys for his younger siblings. As an adult, Nelson became a New York City Sanitation Worker, where he continued to find and fix up things that he found in the trash. He started displaying them in the locker room of the sanitation garage, eventually expanding into other parts of the building. Since retirement, Nelson has opened a museum where he can display his treasures, showing the huge amount of stuff that we put into the trash. Includes tips for reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking, as well as photos of Nelson with some of the exhibits from his museum.
Kids will be inspired to look at trash differently, maybe thinking twice before they throw something away. I loved the scene at Christmas where young Nelson happily gives his siblings the toys he’s fixed up for them. Being something of a minimalist, though, the photos of his cluttered museum convinced me that his way of life is not for me.