Black Diamond Kings: Heroes of Negro League Baseball (Sports Royalty) by Adrian Brandon, Charles R. Smith
ISBN: 1536225355
Genres: Biography/Autobiography, Poetry, Sports
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Black Diamond Kings is a necessary ode to twelve of the greatest players in the Negro Leagues in American baseball history. For each of the players, Charles R. Smith Jr. has created an array of differently formatted poems for each. These are poems rich with vocabulary and imagery that make you feel in the game. Adrian Brandon’s illustrations are striking with interesting, exaggerated style.

Back pages include small biography paragraphs of each player; and further back matter explains the history of the Negro American League and how they are now finally being recognized in the Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2024–long overdue since the players are some the of the best to ever play the game.  Recommended for ages 8-12.

Reviewed by Gia Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath