All About Roberto Clemente

by Andrew Conte, Bryan Janky (Illustrator), Jennifer Mujezinovic (Illustrator)

Roberto Clemente became a baseball icon because of his talent and compassion, and how he overcame prejudices. He was drafted from Puerto Rico, where he spoke Spanish, when he was just eighteen. At first fans laughed at his Spanish accent and some even disliked him for the color of his skin. Roberto worked hard to learn English and improve his baseball skills. He became one of the game's greatest hitters while he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the first Latin American player to have 3,000 hits and his legacy of kindness and record breaking continues to inspire players.

128 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2016

Reviews

[Barbara Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

We picked this book up for our seven-year old nephew but I really enjoyed reading it, too. It's an accessible and lively illustrated biography of Clemente, and details his childhood in Puerto Rico, the racism he encountered in America, his career with the Pirates, his family life, his mentoring of young fans and athletes, and the work he did to raise money for Nicaragua after the 1972 earthquake. There's also a glossary and a timeline of world events so kids can look up any unfamiliar words or references. I especially enjoyed learning about the things Clemente did for good luck before games, like wearing a winning shirt for days, giving up the number 13, and eating honey before games (31-39).

[Barbara Laramie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little kids book but well worth reading for all. Great deal of courage and nobility shown by this baseball great!