(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rodney S. Pate. Sammy, a young African-American boy growing up in the 1930s, wants to be a boxer like his hero Joe Louis, but his skills don't match his ambition. Eventually Sammy learns that it is persistence, not talent, that matters. Expressive, colorful illustrations accompany the worthy but heavy-handed story. A one-page historical afterword is appended.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Childhood of Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Rodney S. Pate. In this entry in a series that fictionalizes a childhood incident that affects the subject's future life, young Martin loses his best friend when Bobby's father says "colored and white can't mix." But while Martin's dad says "friendship has no color," and Martin vows to change people's minds. The story is unsentimentally told in a clearly written text; the realistic illustrations, appropriately somber, convey much emotion.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 On My Own Biography series. Illustrated by Rodney S. Pate. Illustrated with muted color drawings depicting Robinson at different points in his remarkable life, this biography of the first African-American major league baseball player emphasizes the influence of race and family on his career and his personal life. This is a straightforward if somewhat fictionalized introduction to a baseball legend for newly independent readers. A list of important dates is appended.

Reviewer: Jack Forman