Follow Chester and The Crossover

The world has not always been the way it is now. I was talking to parents at school who are 10-15 years younger than I am. Something came up about child care, and I mentioned that my mother was asked to leave her teaching job when she was pregnant with me. The women were shocked, and one even said "That's funny; my mother left teaching when she had me, but she never mentioned why she stopped working."

Picture books are a quick way to show students snapshots in history, and since this is football themed, I think I will purchase a copy, even though picture books don't circulate terribly well.

Respress-Churchwell, Gloria and Freeman, Laura (Illustrations)
Follow Chester!: A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History
September 17th 2019 by Charlesbridge Publishing
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

From Goodreads:
A little known civil rights hero and college football MVP finally gets a voice in this fictional account detailing Chester Pierce's game-changing play as he became the first black college football player to compete south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

In 1947, no African American player can play at a southern school; in return, the opposing team benches a player of "equal talent." This historical fiction picture book frames a turbulent time in the civil rights era with the clever use of a football play to show race relations and teamwork. Inspired by a true story, capturing a historic defense against the Jim Crow laws of the South.

Alexander, Kwame. Anyabwile, Dawud (Illustrations).The Crossover (Graphic Novel)
September 24th 2019 by HMH Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

The Crossover was great, and it was a Newbery well deserved in 2015. I have several copies, it circulates really well, but it's already so short that I am a little confused as to why there is even a graphic novel version.

I didn't take the time to compare the text in the two versions. I will definitely buy a copy, and it will be constantly checked out, but I just don't care for pictures. Just not my cup of tea. (And I usually love all sports books.)