Always, Jackie: The True Story of a Boy and His Baseball Hero

Infused with a hefty dose of romanticism around bygone days, Lewis frames Jackie Robinson’s extraordinary baseball career through the lens of Ronnie Rabinovitz, one young fan (“a youngster with curveball hopes and fastball dreams”) who was profoundly affected by him. Lewis conveys the story of the pair’s letter exchanges, meetups, and eventual friendship in dramatic diction (“Though separated by age, race, religion, and geography, this unimaginable pair became lifelong friends all on account of a game”), making this true story compelling even without an action-packed plot, touching upon the prejudice Robinson faced and briefly drawing parallels with Rabinovitz’s experiences with anti-Semitism. Photorealistic acrylic paintings by Thompson, based on archival photographs, accentuate the retro aesthetic of this tender personal narrative, perfect for baseball buffs and Robinson worshippers. Back matter includes a concise selection of Robinson’s noteworthy accomplishments and statistics, as well as a bibliography and one of the letters that Robinson sent to Rabinovitz. Ages 6–8. (Jan.)