Reviewed by Jean Mendoza
Review Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature
Book Author: Kade Ferris
Biographies of Native sports figures have been few and far between, in my experience. Jim Thorpe and Tom Longboat are two that immediately come to mind. So it feels great to be able to recommend Kade Ferris’ middle grade book about the Ojibwe man who invented a special pitch called the slider.
Charles Albert Bender: National Hall of Fame Pitcher is part of the new series, Minnesota Native American Lives, edited by Gwen Nell Westerman and Heid E. Erdrich. AICL has already reviewed two others — Peggy Flanagan and Ella Cara Deloria.
Charles Bender was born near Brainerd, Minn., in 1884. His mother, Mary, was an Ojibwe woman who cooked for a lumber company, and his father, Albertus was a white (German American), lumberjack. After the trees were gone and the lumber company moved on, the family farmed on the White Earth reservation. One of the tasks that fell to Charles was picking up rocks in the field and throwing them out of the way of the plow. After a while, his aim was very good and his throwing arm was powerful. He credited this experience with the foundation of his success as a pitcher. Continue reading on American Indians in Children’s Literature.
Find more recommended books on this topic on our American Indians booklist.
Charles Albert Bender by Kade Ferris
Published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing on August 26, 2024
Genres: American Indians First Nations Metis Inuit
Pages: 58
Reading Level: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9781634893657
Review Source: American Indians in Children's Literature
Publisher's Synopsis:
Charles Albert Bender invented the slider. He was a World Series-winning pitcher and the first Minnesotan inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He grew up poor on a farm where he worked in the fields. He lived far away from his home and family while attending an Indian boarding school in Pennsylvania. Charles Albert Bender worked hard all his life and defined his success by the amount of effort he put into something. His story is a Minnesota Native American life.
The Minnesota Native American Lives Series includes biographies of Charles Albert Bender, Ella Cara Deloria, and Peggy Flanagan. Read all three!
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