Jackie and Me: A Very Special Friendship - Tania Grossinger and Charles George Esperanza

Surprisingly, Jackie and Me: A Very Special Friendship (Sky Pony Press, $16.95) is not about prejudice in the Major Leagues or even baseball. It is about the kindness and understanding Jackie Robinson showed author Tania Grossinger, who struggled to feel accepted growing up at her cousins’ famous resort in the Catskills of New York. Acutely aware of how it felt to be excluded, Jackie initially befriended this lonely girl during a ping-pong game and, over the next twenty years, helped her gain self-confidence and a sense of worth. Charles George Esperanza’s illustrations add a unique poignancy to this true story of a cherished friendship. Ages 5-9. RBB