New Signing!

Am happy to announce that I have sold my fourth nonfiction picture book to Karen Boss at Charlesbridge. Can't say anymore, except it comes out Summer 2019. 

kidlit411.com

March 10, 2017 -- Interviewed by Sylvia Liu at KIDLIT 411

Book Review

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play for a major league baseball team. But Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers didn’t mean the sport was instantly desegregated. Twelve years passed before the final holdout, the Boston Red Sox, hired Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, its first black player.

In Waiting for Pumpsie, Barry Wittenstein and illustrator London Ladd explore one fictional African-American family’s emotions as they await the day a black player will join their beloved Sox. Through the eyes of Bernard, a baseball-obsessed boy, readers experience the conflicting emotions many Red Sox fans felt: “We always want the Sox to win. But Mama says we gotta root for all the colored players, no matter what team they’re on.” Bernard’s voice feels real and timeless, while Ladd’s illustrations bring late 1950s Boston to life.

Waiting for Pumpsie is an introduction to Pumpsie Green and an important chapter in sports history. It is also a very human look at a family’s complex relationship with the sport they love.

-Dorothy A. Dahm, posted 3/3/17

Book Review

Why I Like This Book: 

I love books that give young readers a slice of history encapsulated in an engaging story.  One of the best things about this book is Bernard’s voice.  Although he’s a fictional character, he feels real.  He sounds believable.  His enthusiasm for baseball in general and the Red Sox in particular comes through clearly, along with his acute awareness that his team is the only holdout in the major leagues – the only team that has yet to play an African-American.  When at last Pumpsie Green gets his chance, helping the Red Sox to a win, Bernard and his family are there to witness the historic moment.  

I think my favorite line in the book is: “The Sox win.  After the game, I stop walking for a minute and turn around.  I look at Fenway and the crowd and tell my eyes to take a picture.”  Isn’t that just wonderful?  Haven’t we all had moments like that when we try to commit every single detail to memory so we’ll never forget?  

A wonderful choice for baseball fans, young historians, or anyone who likes a good story!


Posted 3/3/17

Kirkus Starred Review

Interview with Monica Wellington

Thank you, Monica, for the wonderful interview!

From School Library Journal

In 1959 Boston, a young African American baseball fan named Bernard anxiously waits for the Minor League player Pumpsie Green to join the Red Sox. It is the last team with an all-white lineup, but change is in the air. 


Bernard and his family continue to face racial discrimination from white fans and policemen at Fenway Park when they attend games. But after the boy and his family hear Pumpsie's name announced on the radio, they later go to a game to root for the new player. 


This story is not so much about Pumpsie Green (who goes on to a short career with the Red Sox) as it is about a family longing for an end to segregation and discrimination. The joy that comes when they enjoy a small victory with their favorite team's integration is palpable though subtle and is the real center of the narrative. The vibrant illustrations in acrylic paint complement and enhance the text, making readers feel a part of the tale.


This uplifting account of a family and the integration of Boston baseball will be inspiring to many youngsters.

From BOOKLIST

It's 1959. Growing up in an African American family of avid baseball fans, Bernard loves almost everything about the Red Sox, from listening to games on the radio to cheering on the players at Fenway. What's not to love? 

Well, there's the fact that some folks in the stands make rude, racist remarks and the injustice that—12 years after Jackie Robinson "broke the color barrier"—the team has never fielded a black player. Finally, under pressure, management hires Pumpsie Green. 

The story ends on a high note, with everyone celebrating as Green contributes to a Red Sox win. Weaving in facts, emotions, and perspective, the first-person text makes it easy to empathize with Bernard's point of view. 

The acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations feature good characterizations, strong compositions, and dramatic ball-park scenes. 

A closing author's note fills in some baseball history. With its tacit acknowledgement that social change is a slow process and that racism was not confined to the South, this picture book contributes to children's understanding of America's past, while telling a good story.

Children's Book Council "Hot off the Press" selection -- February 2017

First goodreads review.  Thank you, Erin.