Told in 9 innings, this chronicle of the Negro Leagues is remarkable for its stunning illustrations and quality storytelling. The title is a quote from Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League. “Rube knew that if Negroes were to play in a professional league, we’d have to organize it ourselves. ‘We are the ship,’ he declared; ‘all else the sea.’”

 

From those beginnings, readers learn of game play in the league, life on the team bus, the world of team owners, star players, exhibition games with the white leagues, and finally the integration of major league baseball. Nelson tells the story from the perspective of a bench player. What could have been a dry recitation of facts becomes a fascinating tale with the feel of an eyewitness account. Nelson, an award-winning illustrator, received his first kudos for writing with this book. We Are the Ship won the Coretta Scott King Medal for Writing and the Sibert Medal for excellence in non-fiction work for children.

 

The full page oil paintings are an integral part of the story. A few are based on photographs from the collections of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Many are based upon photographs Nelson took himself. The historical collection lacked action shots and he wanted to know how the uniforms would have draped and how they would have pulled when sliding into base. So, he donned a uniform and slid into third.

 

While the text is sophisticated, this is a book that many a young fan will enjoy hearing read aloud. Each inning is fast-paced and none are over-long. The illustrations provide much to point out and discuss. Pittsburgh readers will thrill to the amount of material about the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays.