Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series

The Contenders by Traci Sorell and Arigon Starr is a powerful and inspiring picture book that tells the true story of John Meyers and Charles Bender, two Native American baseball players who broke barriers in 1911 by becoming the first two Native pro baseball players to face off in a World Series.

Despite facing racism and discrimination within the stadium, these two athletes never gave up on their dreams of playing professional baseball and went on to play a combined total of nine championships.

With text that teaches important lessons about resilience, doing what you love in the face of injustice, and the fight for Native American representation in sports, this book is an inspiration for achieving and maintaining one's dreams in the face of prejudice.

Don't miss out on this incredible story that has broad appeal for history buffs, sports fans, and social-justice minded kids.