Clemente!

On August 18, 1934, one of the most revered National League baseball players of all times, Roberto Clemente, was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Considered something of a saint in his native land, Clemente made his fame in America, after being drafted in 1954 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He brought new life to the team and excitement to the ballpark, ultimately spurring the Pirates on to become World Series champions. As good as Clemente was on the ball field, his activities off the diamond became a critical part of his legend. He built a sport complex in Puerto Rico for children and gave large sums to charity. While delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua in 1972, Clemente died when the plane with these supplies plummeted into the ocean.

In Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jonah Winter stresses Clemente’s genius as a ball player as well as the discrimination that he faced from newspaper writers who called him lazy, mocked his Spanish, and dubbed him a hothead. Winter’s straightforward text, along with Raul Colon’s action-filled illustrations, provide ample details of Clemente’s life, as well as a sense of the obstacles he had to overcome in his career.

Last year a new book, Clemente! by Willie Perdomo, illustrated by Bryan Collier, appeared that provides a different perspective on the first Latin American player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A young boy, named Clemente, in honor of his father’s favorite ball player, narrates a text that moves frequently from English to Spanish to celebrate Clemente’s accomplishments. Both the boy’s father and uncle regale him with information about their idol. Bryan Collier, one of the most talented illustrators working today, has created strong and compelling portraits of Clemente as well as striking and dramatic baseball stadium scenes to make every page of this book visually compelling.

Both books work well together to honor Clemente. Although he died almost three decades ago, he remains a hero for our time—a brilliant baseball player who gave his resources and ultimately his life to help others.

Here’s a page from Clemente!: