The Stone Thrower

by Jael Ealey Richardson, Matt James (Illustrations)

The African-American football player Chuck Ealey grew up in a segregated neighborhood of Portsmouth, Ohio. Against all odds, he became an incredible quarterback. But despite his unbeaten record in high school and university, he would never play professional football in the United States.

Chuck Ealey grew up poor in a racially segregated community that was divided from the rest of town by a set of train tracks, but his mother assured him that he wouldn’t stay in Portsmouth forever. Education was the way out, and a football scholarship was the way to pay for that education. So despite the racist taunts he faced at all the games he played in high school, Chuck maintained a remarkable level of dedication and determination. And when discrimination followed him to university and beyond, Chuck Ealey remained undefeated.

This inspirational story is told by Chuck Ealey’s daughter, author and educator Jael Richardson, with striking and powerful illustrations by award-winning illustrator Matt James.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Sports, Nonfiction, Football, African American, Canada

32 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2016

About the author

Jael Richardson has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her first book, The Stone Thrower: A Daughter’s Lesson, a Father’s Life, came out in 2012 and was the subject of a TSN documentary. In 2013, the book received a CBC Bookie Award. Richardson received a My People Award that same year, recognizing her as a new and up-and-coming writer.

Excerpts from her first play my upside down black face are published in the anthology T-Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers.

Richardson is currently working on a children’s book and a novel. She helped kids in the Toronto District School Board as one of the TDSB’s 2013-14 Writers-In-Residence.

In her free time, she teaches communications at Humber College.

Reviews

[AleJandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Una y otra vez y otra vez STARS

"At school and at football practice, Chuck did the same thing. When he learned new things and when he had to do the same thing over and over, he thought about standing by the railroad tracks, throwing stones again and again until de go it.'

El fin de semana fui a la feria del libro The Word on the Street. Como saben yo no leo libros en físico así que me la pase todo el tiempo en el área infantil buscando libros para mi hija, le compramos 6 en total y nos quedamos con ganas de más.

En uno de los estantes, estaba la autora Jael Ealey Richardson leyendo su libro a los niños. Esto va a sonar a exageración mía, pero me causo mucho sentimiento la forma en que la autora leyó la historia y casi me hace llorar al final.

Les explico porque, la historia es sobre un niño que creció en Estados Unidos en un barrio segregado para las personas de color, aunque ya estaba prohibido tener esclavos, aun así, le tomo muchos años a la sociedad entender que todos somos humanos.

Nuestro protagonista crese en medio de todo este racismo, en una página del libro nos muestra como estaban separados los barrios de las personas de color, con un muro. Pero el niño se siente motivado y tiene como pasatiempo arrojar piedras cuando pasa el tren, eso se vuelve su vida, ya que de aventar rocas una y otra vez, su brazo y habilidad lo llevan a convertirse en quarterback en un equipo de fútbol americano.

El niño crese, juega fútbol en high school y nunca pierde un juego, llega a la universidad y tampoco pierde. Al final hace su carrera en el futbol profesional, triunfa y se vuelve uno de los mejores quarterbacks de la historia.

Un cuento basado en la vida de Chuck Ealey y fue escrito por su hija, por eso me dio tanto sentimiento porque note lo mucho que la autora adora y está orgullosa de su padre.

Una historia que les ensena a los niños, que si quieren algo deben trabajar por ello, deben practicar una y otra vez.

Hay un detalle que la historia no toca, pero que pude ver entre líneas, el protagonista triunfa en la liga de futbol canadiense, no americana. Posiblemente porque en aquel entonces los deportistas de color aun no eran bien recibidos, y aunque suene a cliché, acá en Canadá somos más tolerantes.

[Soraya Laboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet picture book about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time who never played in the NFL.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this at the same time as I’ve been reading The Stone Thrower memoir. Both are excellent! This picture book describes the beginning years of Chuck Ealey’s life. Fantastic illustrations! Knowing the background from the memoir was helpful. I read this to my Grade 7-9 Special Education students and had a good conversation with them about racism and overcoming adversity.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Chuck Ealey, legendary African American football quarterback, and how he persevered from poverty & hunger into a life of success- all because his mother encouraged him to get a good education and he taught himself the skills of strength and resilience.

Very cool story.

[Niki Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish this was a better adaptation of the author's book for adults, but sadly, it fell short, kind of literally. I did not know the last spread was going to lead into the copyright page--it felt very abrupt with the pace of the narrative throughout the book.

Matt James's illustrations use paneling and present the visual passage of time innovatively but not all spreads impressed me.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know the popular adult biography that inspired this adaptation, but this was an interesting story. It reveals the life of a little known football player for many, primarily because his professional career happened in Canada. Still, his is a story of persistence and overcoming obstacles, the sort of story that will be both inspiring and educational to young readers. It did feel like an odd way to end the book though. Thankfully, the end notes did the job that the story failed to. Maybe the adult version of the book filled those details in better. I can't say.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson and pictures by Matt James, a bio picture book from the same CBC award winning title is a wonderful story of a boy, Chuck Ealey, who was living in segregated Ohio to become a well-loved football star. The book is full of colorful pictures that look to be painted with watercolors. This lets a story of a boy who was poor and from the "other side of the tracks". He starts throwing stones at the train that passes by. He tries to hit a specific stop on the train and after lots of practice he gets very good at it. The football coach at the high school asks him to be the team quarterback. Many people didn't think an African American could be smart enough to be the quarterback, but his coach and his teammates did. He ended up winning every high school game he played in and went on to receive a scholarship the University of Toledo and won every game there too. He was not picked up by the NFL but moved to Canada and played for the Canadian football league for 6 years before he retired with multiple awards.
This book would be good for grades 2-5. I think I would use this book along with a SEL lesson in inclusion and how we are all the same in many more ways than we are different. All the people that passed Chuck by lost out on a lot and the lesson is that everyone deserves to be treated equal.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid, the name Chuck Ealey made you think of astounding passes on the football field. But before he was a Canadian Football League star, he was a black boy growing up in the segregated US. His determination and that of his hard-working mother ensured that he not only got to be an amazing and undefeated quarterback in high school, but also got a college education before a career as a football star in Canada.

This is an excellent book about children dealing with racism and self-determination.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The picture book is about Ealey as a child; the book ends with a key high school game. The endnotes mention his college and pro careers.

Until we see him on the high school team, Ealey is portrayed as pretty isolated. He's not with other kids; the book talks about him not being able to go to the pool on the other side of the train tracks, about his mom working long hours, about him practicing throwing on his own.

Some of the illustrations are gorgeous; they're in acrylic, and the color and thickness works really well.

[Evan Teter]

This book is about football quarterback Chuck Ealey's life. Being an African American man, he was not given as many opportunities as other people, so he had to make the most of the ones he got. He came from a poor family, but he worked hard in school and sports and became very successful. This is a book that could be read aloud to the class so I could help them understand why Chuck didn't get the same opportunities as others and what was happening during the 1950s and 60s (when this book took place).

[Alana Young]

This book is about football player Chuck Ealey. The story is brief and only tells of Ealey's early childhood and how he lead his high school football team to an important victory. The author's note in the back reports Ealey's accomplishments and also reveals that this book was written by Ealey's daughter. In the classroom, this book would be a valuable tool to talk about segregation by way of sports. It could be used as a read-aloud followed by a discussion that would encourage students to make connections between themes in this story with historical themes learned about in the classroom.

[Isabella DelGarbino · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealy Richardson is a moving and inspiring story based on the author's own father, who became a great football player despite facing many challenges. The book tells how he grew up in a tough environment, using his strength and determination to overcome obstacles. Through powerful illustrations and simple words, the story shows the importance of resilience, hard work, and never giving up on your dreams. The Stone Thrower is a great book for kids to learn about perseverance and the strength of family and personal belief.

[Lucile Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

57. The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson, illustrations by Matt James.
I was not aware that this was a children’s book when I ordered it, and a picture book at that. I thought it was a sports biography of Chuck Ealey, who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 1970s and led them to a Gray Victory in his first season. The illustrations were colourful but fairly child-like. For the right age group, this would be a good anti-racism inspirational story.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this. I liked the illustrations and I thought it was an interesting story and didn't feel like 100 books I'd already read as picture book biographies of this sort often do. I really wish more of the author's personal connection had been in the narrative...it was crammed in back in an author's note that was on the copyright page and we almost missed it, I felt like it told an important part of the story and should not be missed. This book left me wanting more.

[JessicaChurch · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading through the picturebook being an inspirational story that was by Chuck Ealey's daughter you learn a lot for being a children's picturebook. The book goes on about an aspiring football player making it through hard times from growing up in a segregated neighborhood. I feel like this book would be a great read especially for children that are looking for a point of striving for a goal in life or even about a football player's dream.

[Hye Won · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a life story of the African-American boy, Chuck. This story is helpful to tell children how African-American people got treated unequally in the past and to explain what racism is. It shows how much people have lost their opportunities to live such better lives because of the unequal treatment and segregation in the past.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's mind-boggling that someone so talented (undefeated in college football!) was not allowed to play in the NFL because he was Black. Of course, now we have a player who has essentially been blacklisted by the NFL for peacefully protesting the treatment of African Americans by the police...so how much has really changed?

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction to football player, Chuck Ealey, from Portsmouth, Ohio, written by his daughter, Jael Ealy Richardson. It takes him from practicing throwing stones at passing train cars to playing in the Canadian Football League because the NFL didn't believe a Black man could be a great quarterback.

[Don Shreve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about Chuck Ealey who grew up in segregated Portsmouth Ohio and went on to never losing a game in high school or college as quarterback. My wife grew up in Portsmouth and had brothers who played with Chuck.this book for 8-10 year olds introduces them to what it was like to grow up in a segregated city. Even mentioned Dreamland swimming pool. Tear up when I read it to my boys.

[Dianne Koebel-Pede · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must for all elementary classrooms! It's the true story of Canadian Football League quarterback, Chuck Ealy. Born in Ohio in 1950, Chuck overcame adversity with hard work and perseverance. He wasn't able to play in the NFL because of the colour of his skin. What makes this inspirational story super-special is the author. Jael Ealey Richardson is Chuck's daughter.

[Jacqueline Sybersma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational true story for kids and adults!
Growing up amid racism, injustice and poverty, Chuck tackles these challenges with grace and determination.
Even if you’re not sporty, you and your students or children will love this success story!
Beautifully written with grace and subtlety, this is a timely read for any parent or teacher who’s looking for a discussion starter that black lives matter.
This was a quick read on iCloud Library.

[Dustyn Mckenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chuck Ealey grew up in a segregated town in Ohio. This story shows his journey to becoming his schools star Quarterback. Educates lightly about struggles of growing up as an African American during the times of segregation.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the picture book version of the author's story about her father who grew up poor and worked hard to get out of that life through playing football. Wonderful story with great illustrations.

[Ann Tuennerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read aloud! I was not familiar with Chuck Ealey the great football player.

[Jayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great I Love Football

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girls enjoyed this story about how working hard and practicing can help make you excellent at something.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this book that focuses on perseverance in the face of challenges and highlights a little-known African American athlete of amazing talent

[Beth Vredenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet bio picture book about Chuck Ealey, written by his daughter Jael. Chuck was a great quarter back, winning every high school and college game he played. A nice bio and a great addition to any library.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by the daughter of quarterback Chuck Ealey, this picture book tells how one boy overcame the odds against him in order to play football in college and professionally. Ealey grew up in a segregated neighborhood in Portsmouth, Ohio, where life was hard. Sometimes he didn't have enough to eat, and wondered how he could ever accomplish his mother's dreams of him leaving the place far behind him. Not only did he study hard, but he practiced throwing a stone at a letter on a passing train. Over time, his aim improved, and he became good enough to play quarterback at Notre Dame High School. At that time, many thought that blacks couldn't handle that position, but Chuck proved them wrong, overcoming racism and racist comments. His 27 wins at Notre Dame and his 35 college wins at the University of Toledo silenced naysayers quickly. Sadly, though, as the back matter tells readers, this talented athlete never played for the National Football League; instead, he found his place to the North, in the Canadian Football League. The story is interesting and likely to inspire other youngsters who may face similar life challenges and draw strength from this one. The pen and ink and acrylic illustrations show Chuck's determination and how he drew from deep within to face and meet everything that life threw at him. I liked the fact that the story is told by an insider, someone who had a chance to hear what happened from his perspective. This title would be a good one to include in a collection on civil rights and sports. As I often note, breaking the color barrier often happened in sports before it occurred anywhere else, which is something to ponder.

[Venus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on Children's Atheneum

An inspirational story by Chuck Ealey's daughter, this is the story of rising above circumstances and one young man's dedication in the face of many obstacles. I absolutely love picture book biographies (and biographies in general) because they give us stories of people who don't show up in the normal school curriculum. For an aspiring football player, the sports-obsessed kid, and the African-American child, Chuck Ealey can serve as an important role model, Matt James' illustrations were beautiful as always, with an almost Snowy Day vibe to them. The only criticism I have for the book is how much time is spent on Chuck's childhood and doesn't really get to his high school and college accomplishments. Those details are in a short paragraph at the end of the book. I would have liked a little bit of that in the actual book. Another great addition to the world of children's biographies.