Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America's Game

Batter up for the first-ever children's book about Larry Doby, the first African-American player to hit a home run in the World Series.

The year is 1948, and Homer and his daddy are baseball crazy. Ever since last season, when their man Larry Doby followed Jackie Robinson across baseball’s color line and signed on with their team, the Cleveland Indians, it’s been like a dream come true. And today Larry Doby and the Indians are playing Game Four of the World Series against the Boston Braves! With a play-by-play narration capturing all the excitement of that particular game — and the special thrill of listening to it on the radio with family at home — Chris Crowe and Mike Benny craft a compelling tribute to an unsung legend. Kid-friendly and vividly illustrated, this long-overdue biography, featuring an extensive bibliography and historical note, illuminates the effect Larry Doby had on his fans as both a baseball hero and a champion for civil rights.

Chris Crowe has written several celebrated books for young people, including Mississippi Trial, 1955, which won the International Reading Association Young Adult Book Award, and Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case. Chris Crowe is a professor of English at Brigham Young University and lives in Provo, Utah.

Mike Benny is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in many prominent publications, including The New Yorker, Time, Sports Illustrated, and Rolling Stone. He has also illustrated several picture books, including Oh, Brother! by Nikki Grimes and The Listeners by Gloria Whelan. Mike Benny lives in Austin, Texas.