Sports and poetry? It’s a home run hit!

BLACK DIAMOND KINGS: HEROES OF NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL is a poetry picture book all about the great legendary baseball players in the negro leagues. Back matter explains that this is actually a timely publication. In 2024 negro league players were added to Major League baseball statistics and actually changed the record books. This phenomenal collection highlights some of the greatest baseball players of all time (not just of the negro leagues).

There are a variety of poetry forms used here and I loved the play involved in crafting each poem that went into this collection by Charles R. Smith. Yet the illustrations by Adrian Brandon are also every bit as glorious. I chose one poem about a player that stood out from the crowd. Enjoy!

And if you’re looking for more poetry fun this month, be sure to check out the Kidlitosphere Event Roundup!  Thank you for stopping by!