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

A fine story about baseball that makes its point quietly and effectively.

With an author's note that fleshes out Doby's historical significance, this nostalgic picture book frames Doby's on-field heroics with a story of a father and son listening on the radio as Doby launches a game-winning home run in the World Series... A sage reminder that though the first step might be the hardest, the second is no less important

While numerous childrens books have been written about Jackie Robinson, this is the first dedicated to another pioneering ballplayer, Larry Doby, who joined the Cleveland Indians 11 weeks after Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Doby became the first African-American player in the American League and, in 1948, he helped the Indians win their first World Series in decades. Crowe (Mississippi Trial, 1945) tells the story of the first game in that World Series matchup through the excited first-person narration of Homer, a young baseball fan who, having been told he cant play on his local Little League team, is looking to Doby to prove that our people are just as good in baseball or anything else as whites are. Homer and his parents listen to the game over a newly purchased radio, but readers have a better seat, thanks to Bennys (The Listeners) atmospheric acrylic paintings, which shift between closeups of the ballpark action and Homers familys elated reactions at home. A straightforward but nonetheless inspirational story of barriers being broken down, one slow step at a time. Ages 6 10. (Jan.) Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

Gr 1-4--Eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier with the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers, Doby signed with the Cleveland Indians, in the American League. While his achievement has not been as celebrated as Robinson's, the need for him to succeed was just as important. It validated Robinson's Rookie of the Year accomplishment, proving that he wasn't a fluke, and that African-American players could succeed in baseball just as well as white athletes. Doby's story--and particularly his 1948 season with the World Champion Indians--is seen through the eyes of Homer, an African-American child who is crazy about baseball. He, too, faces disappointment when his Little League coach tells him he can't play because he is black (an abruptly cruel moment in an otherwise uplifting book). Homer and his father follow Doby's every move, fully aware of the history they are witnessing. It is the familial context that gives the book its punch. Period details, such as hurrying to the local drugstore to listen to the World Series games on the radio, combine with play-by-play drama to flesh out a compelling story. Benny's acrylic paintings focus on the characters--Doby, Homer, his mother and father--placing them in the spotlight at various moments. A compelling look at one of the game's trailblazers.--Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Like many fans, Homer and his father switch on the radio to listen to Doby's big game, which JUST AS GOOD recreates play-by-play with Benny's lush acrylics.
—The New York Times 

Baseball fans will enjoy this book with its oversized paintings of Doby in action.
—Library Media Connection

This wonderful picture book tells the simple story of a boy and his dad listening to that game on the radio in their kitchen and realizing that they were listening to history being made.
—Washington Post

Mike Benny depicts Homer's wide-eyed excitement through luminous illustrations, while Crowe seamlessly weaves facts and stats from the actual game into the storyline.
—BookPage

The father-son relationship, a family's pride and an almost forgotten moment in the civil rights struggle are recalled with an assist from rich acrylics that capture a pivotal moment.
—San Francisco Chronicle