Description
ShaTayshia’s Auntie knows the lost story of the Dolly Vardens, the first African-American Women’s baseball team and a secret that will change ShaTayshia’s baseball dreams forever.
Age Range: 7 – 9 years
Grade Level: 2 – 4
Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens: Inspired by the First African American Women’s Professional Baseball Team
$16.00
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3 reviews for Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens: Inspired by the First African American Women’s Professional Baseball Team
Dr. Sabrina Brinson is professor of childhood education and family studies. Brinson is the founder and national director of two award-winning national, community-based, literacy programs: Boys Booked on Barbershops (B-BOB) and Girls Booked on Beauty shops (G-BOB). She is also a member of several professional organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Council of Teachers of English, and the International Literacy Association.
Dr. Rosalyn Thomas –
“Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens,” the first women’s professional baseball team, and indeed I did, through the eyes of a spirited young girl who became determined and confident in her skills to overcome obstacles through the discovery of her rich heritage. This extraordinary piece of history could do just that for students as they immerse themselves into the everyday challenges of ShaTayshia. Through her encounter with a distant relative, she learned to “shake it off and step up, because can’t is in a can,” so I am glad that I got a chance to “Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens,” and so will you. A great read, and must have for home-, school-, and community libraries.
-Dr. Rosalyn Thomas, Coordinator in the Office of Diversity, Drury University.
Elizabeth Obrey –
The author of Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens takes you to that moment in time to watch the first professional African American women’s baseball team. You feel history opening up in front of your eyes right from the page where her conversational style brings the story to life and sits you on the bench listening about baseball and learning how to navigate life. Intertwining the past with the present, Dr. Sabrina A. Brinson shows that -we still face some of the same struggles today, but because of those who came before us we have opportunities that those ancestors could scarcely imagine possible. The reader will be introduced to what unfair is and will not feel accomplished until they have had the chance to face an unfair obstacle where they ‘stepped up and shook it off’ following the Dolly Vardens lead. The language Sabrina uses creates a sense of belonging to something bigger than just the reader’s circle of influence. Something more exciting and important. The book’s author does not talk down to the reader and pushes their involvement in the story while teaching life lessons. The reality that not everyone gets a medal, recognizing and dealing with disappointment, while not forgetting to work hard for what is important to you. Lessons we must not forget to teach a new generation. After reading this book I will never look at a ball of yarn the same. To see red yarn will now make my heart race with excitement now that I have been blessed with getting to know the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens.
Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens is a sheer delight that captures the reader from the beginning as it opens pages of little known historical facts and challenges the reader to put together clues to embrace the story’s full meaning and possibilities. Author Dr. Sabrina A. Brinson teaches skills of resiliency and ingenuity as she offers a story to be read over and over. Hidden history is uncovered by author Dr. Sabrina A. Brinson in the first of the “Strength Beyond Measure” series as she brings to us Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens, where readers are quickly engaged in the lives of the first professional African American women’s baseball team and the power of a ball of red yarn.
Dr. Sabrina A. Brinson’s education is only matched by her passion for bringing reading to this generation. She brings to us a new title, Meet the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens, the first in her “Strength Beyond Measure” series. Dr. Brinson challenges the reader to put together clues as she introduces little known facts in history that delight the reader and leave them wanting to learn more. — Elizabeth Obrey, family advocate, disability author and parent.
Eva Pelkey –
ShaTayshia has baseball in her blood and she’s determined to ace tryouts. When a familiar stranger appears at the field, ShaTayshia learns more from her than how to throw a guaranteed strike – she learns the amazing story of the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens, an African-American women’s baseball team and the first professional women’s team in the United States. ShaTayshia is inspired by the Dolly Varden’s strength and spirit but when things don’t go as planned on the diamond, ShaTayshia finds she needs her new friend, and the legacy of the Dolly Vardens, to move forward.
Young readers will enjoy the vivid descriptions and fun, dual-baseball storylines. Older children will relate to the universal experience of disappointment and, like ShaTayshia, find meaning in the Dolly Vardens’ resilience and their ability to “shake it off and step up”. The witty and engaging dialogue makes this an excellent read-aloud for parents and caregivers who are seeking to help children realize their worth and work through life’s challenges – or who just want to share a great baseball tale. – Eva Pelkey, Springfield-Greene County Library District