(2) 4-6 Nelson (We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, rev. 5/08, among many others) brings his sports fandom and verve -- and always impressive oil paintings -- to the history of basketball. Organized into four “quarters,” plus pregame, halftime, overtime, and postgame sections, the text is wide-ranging and enthusiastic; the (fictional) narrator speaks “from the firsthand experiences of a former basketball player who’s witnessed the game evolve from its humble beginnings...into a flashy athletic spectacle on the world stage.” Beginning with Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, Nelson describes the new sport’s rules, equipment, popularity, and challenges, providing primary-source quotes and historical context around issues such as racial and financial inequities, skill-building, showmanship, and teamwork. Moving through the twentieth century, he arrives at perhaps the liveliest chapter: “Third Quarter: The Revolutionaries,” which provides snapshots of fourteen of the most influential (and playfully contestable/debatable) male players. Women are largely relegated to the engaging “Overtime” section, with Nelson’s author’s note acknowledging a greater story to be told. Every spread of this dazzlingly illustrated work includes dynamic imagery -- over sixty original paintings. All are helpfully ­captioned, though many of the subjects are iconic and will need no identification for fans. A ­timeline, a glossary, notes and sources, and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2026

(4) PS Speaking directly to readers, an unseen narrator shows the destructive power of selfishness and compares it to the sweet fruits that grow from kindness. Nelson's approach is didactic, but his gorgeous paintings, showing a rabbit and mouse grappling with the consequences of their choices, makes this both a useful and entertaining contribution to social-emotional learning for preschoolers.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Moving swiftly through crucial moments in Mandela's life, from childhood tragedy to his outcry against apartheid to his nearly thirty-year imprisonment, release, and eventual presidency, this pictorial biography aptly honors the South African revolutionary. Nelson's signature large-scale portraits capture both the strength and emotions of his subject--particularly the text-less cover featuring Mandela's visage with a dignified expression. Bib.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(1) 4-6 The unnamed narrator of this graceful and personalized overview of African American history provides a sweeping account that covers history from the Colonial era to the present day. Each page of text is accompanied by a magnificent oil painting, forty-seven in all, including six dramatic double-page spreads. The illustrations, combined with the narrative, give a sense of intimacy. A tour de force. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(1) 4-6 Imagine listening to Willie Mays and Ernie Banks swapping tales. That easygoing, conversational storytelling is what Nelson achieves in this pitch-perfect history of Negro League baseball. His extensive research yields loads of attention-grabbing details. The grand slam, though, is the art: Nelson's oil paintings have a steely dignity, and his from-the-ground perspectives make the players look larger than life. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008