We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

When I saw my library had We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson as an audiobook, I was puzzled. Nelson is known for his wonderful illustrations in children's picture books. I had already read We Are the Ship, and the pictures of the baseball players are still fresh in my mind. I could hardly imagine separating the text and illustrations. Needing an audiobook, I borrowed it anyway.

To my surprise, it worked very well just as an audiobook. I had forgotten how Nelson had written his history of the Negro Leagues as if he was one of the players, giving the story a warmth and immediate appeal, and the text that seems so simple is really quite complex. What seems likes an off-hand telling weaves in so much detail, and the stories seem as though they are firsthand. It makes a great audiobook. I only hope that the author interview appended makes listeners go find the print edition as well.

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. Brilliance Audio, 2008. ISBN 9781423375364