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CM . . .
. Volume XXII Number 32. . . .April 22, 2016
excerpt:
There is an underlying melancholy to this intensely personal story written by Jael Ealey Richardson about her father’s struggles to realize his dreams. This story about equality, family and self-esteem is told in simple language and is easily accessible to young children who are learning about positive values.
If you are interested in further reading about Chuck Ealey, Jael Ealey Richardson wrote a memoir about her father entitled The Stone Thrower: A Daughter’s Lesson, which won a CBC Bookie Award. Matt James’ illustrations are vibrant and lively and help tell the story of The Stone Thrower with rich imagery. Matt James has won many awards for his artwork, including the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Governor-General’s Literary Award for Children’s Illustration. Recommended. Tamara Opar is Section Head of Children’s and Teen Services at the Millennium Branch of Winnipeg Public Library.
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Table of Contents for This Issue
- April 22, 2016. |
Chuck Ealey, the African-American football player, grew up in a segregated neighbourhood of Portsmouth, Ohio. Despite growing up in poverty and often hungry, young Chuck was encouraged by his mother to find a way to a better life through education and determination. The story talks about how Chuck became a great quarterback, but it does not introduce the fact that he never was able to play American football because of discrimination. Although the author touches on the issue of racism, the fact that Ealey moved to Canada to play professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is a disappointing exclusion as there are so many lessons about human rights and fair play that should have been introduced. Although the story is inspiring with respect to Ealey’s becoming a great quarterback, the professional part of Ealey’s career is only touched on in an afterward by the author, leaving the story, itself, incomplete.