Swinging into history Toni Stone: big-league baseball's first woman player

Growing up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Toni Stone (aka Tomboy) dreamed of playing Negro League baseball someday. Her parents tried to steer her into the more ladylike sport of figure skating, but Stone enlisted help from their parish priest, who told them that it was no sin to play ball for the church team. Although that team's coach refused to teach her, she found a former major league player who helped her gain the skills and confidence to try out for professional teams later. Despite continuing racial and gender-based discrimination, as well as harassment from spectators and even her teammates, she worked her way up to the Negro Leagues, playing for the Indianapolis Clowns and the Kansas City Monarchs. The narrative is appealing; well-chosen quotes from Stone are presented on certain pages alongside Freeman's engaging digital illustrations. From childhood dream to hard-won achievements, Stone's story unfolds as a picture book with a happy ending. In the extensive back matter, Swanson makes clear how difficult and demoralizing Stone's path really was. An inspirational biography for baseball fans.

In Depression-era America, Toni Stone, a young Black girl, grew up to become the first woman to play professional baseball. Marcenia "Tomboy" Stone lived, loved, and breathed baseball. Her goal: to hear Negro League fans call out her name. Her parents wanted her to figure skate like other girls, which she did successfully, but "gliding solo was dull as ice." When Stone's family's priest offered her a spot on the church baseball team, she "ROCKETED line drives and KABOOMED homers." She also weathered insults from boys; the coach refused to teach a girl. As an adult, she moved to California and changed her name to Toni. She eventually landed a minor league contract, but in the racist Jim Crow South, she entered the stadium through the "colored" door, and her teammates did not welcome her ("You ought to be home washing dishes"). Her big break came when she was selected to replace Hank Aaron on the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro League--the first woman to play professional baseball. In an author's note, baseball enthusiast Swanson expands on the racism and gender discrimination Stone faced. Stone's words appear on banners across the bold, energetic illustrations by Freeman ("I didn't concern myself that there weren't any women in the game"), as well as those from the press ("an accomplished player"), all of which round out this upbeat tribute. A welcome addition to the annals of women's sports. (Toni Stone's baseball legacy, timeline, selected bibliography, archival photos, picture credits) (Picture-book biography. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.