Hammerin' Hank: The Life of Hank Greenberg - Hardcover

McDonough, Yona Zeldis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802789978 ISBN 13: 9780802789976

Publisher: Walker Childrens, 2006

Synopsis

Meet one of America's earliest Jewish-American heroes.

The 1930s were a time when "outsiders" were not welcome in Major League Baseball. Henry Benjamin Greenberg began as one of those outsiders, but went on to become one of baseball's greatest right-handed batters.

Hammerin' Hank dominated baseball from 1933 to 1948 and was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Hank Greenberg was more than an amazing athlete. While Jews had been playing baseball since the 1800s, Hammerin' Hank was baseball's first Jewish superstar.

About this title

About the Author

YONA ZELDIS McDONOUGH is the author of nine books for children and young readers―four of them illustrated by her mother, renowned folk artist Malcah Zeldis―including Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela. The author lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and their two children.

MALCAH ZELDIS was born in 1931 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. As a child, Malcah spent endless hours with her brother, bedridden, listening to his hero, Hank Greenberg, play ball on the radio. Malcah Zeldis lives and paints in New York City.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. The life of baseball star Hank Greenberg deserves to be celebrated, and this solid, chronological telling does just that, centering on Greenberg's religion and America's reaction to its first Jewish baseball star. Greenberg, the son of Orthodox parents, was encouraged to go to college, but baseball called. Once he joined the Detroit Tigers, he was consistently booed and called derogatory names such as "kike" and "sheeny." Bad behavior was not restricted to fans; opposing players also ragged him. During the 1934 season, Greenberg had to decide whether to observe the High Holy Days or play in important games; he played on Rosh Hashanah and went to synagogue on Yom Kippur. Zeldis' distinctive folk-art style works well here, especially in the action-filled baseball scenes. The neon colors and unusual design will attract children, although older kids, who might be most interested in the text, may think the pictures look babyish. Numerous quotes, which, unfortunately, are not sourced, enliven the telling, and a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, and Greenberg's stats are appended. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker Childrens
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0802789978
• ISBN 13: 9780802789976
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Zeldis Malcah