Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy
by Bill Wise (Author) Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)
The biography of William Ellsworth Hoy, the first deaf player to have a successful career in professional and Major League baseball.
William Hoy loved baseball. Growing up in the 1860s and '70s, he dreamed of one day playing in the major leagues. A far-off fantasy for many boys, fulfilling this dream was even more of a long shot for William, who was deaf.
Striving to find his place in a hearing world, Hoy became a shoemaker. He took pride in his work, but baseball was still his real love. When an amateur team coach saw him playing behind the shoemaker's shop, Hoy dazzled the coach with his hard-hitting skills. Moving from amateur clubs to the minor leagues and eventually to the majors, Hoy proved himself again and again--overcoming obstacles and becoming a star both on and off the baseball diamond.
Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy is a tribute to one of the most inspirational figures in baseball history. A talented player with a standout record, Hoy is a shining example that success in life should not be measured by differences but by drive and determination.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
Publishers Weekly
In this rousing picture-book biography of William Ellsworth Hoy (1862-1961), one of the first deaf players in major league baseball, Wise follows Hoy from his childhood in Houcktown, Ohio (he was left deaf at age three after a meningitis infection), through his chance discovery by an amateur league coach and his ascent into the minor leagues and beyond. Wise outlines the hardships and prejudices Hoy encountered at every turn ("ost people thought he would fail. They believed big league baseball was no place for a man who could not hear or talk"), but Hoy's determination cuts through all the doubt he faced, and some of the records he set stand to this day. As he did in Yankee at the Seder, Gustavson demonstrates a gift for bringing a historical setting to life in his soft, skillfully composed oil paintings. Ages 6-11. Illustrator's agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (Apr.)
Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Bill Wise, an avid baseball fan, is also the author of Lee & Low's Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy. Wise and his family live in Gorham, Maine.
Bill Farnsworth is the illustrator of more than fifty children's books. His work has received numerous awards and honors, including Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, and selection for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. Farnsworth's warmly-lit oil paintings gracefully illuminate the Maine landscape and Sockalexis's days on the baseball diamond. Farnsworth lives with his family in Venice, Florida. Visit him online at billfarnsworth.com.
JNF053180 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Special Needs
Baseball players
Hoy, William
Deaf athletes
