You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter & illustrated by Andre Carrilho

 You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!: Winter, Jonah, Carrilho, Andre: 9780553498424: Amazon.com: Books


You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter & illustrated by Andre Carrilho

  • Nonfiction 

  • Grades; 1st - 4th 

  • Awards: Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers 



Summary


You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! is a book about Sandy Koufax, a left-handed pitcher who was a talented professional baseball player from 1961-1966. Sandy Koufax grew up Jewish in Brooklyn. He was a talented athlete and first made the newspaper for basketball. Sandy was invited to watch the Dodgers game and then got drafted to the team. Koufax kept to himself and was not well-liked because he was a Jew and not very vocal. The Dodgers moved to LA and Sandy gave his general manager an ultimatum to trade him or let him pitch. After 13 losses and only 8 wins, Sandy quit. Fortunately, he returned and played the game of his life. The bases were loaded and Sandy’s manager told him to relax and then Sandy struck out the next two batters. He had to ice and take painkillers after each game because his elbow was being overworked. In the 1965 World Series, Koufax refused to play because Jews don’t work on the Jewish High Holy Day. He went on to retire at the peak of his career. The book ends as everyone is baffled at Koufax’s success and his choice between his career and the use of his left arm. 



Evaluation:


You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! is a great example of a biography that I would use in my classroom. It is the appropriate reading level for second graders. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! is filled with accurate information based on a real person. This book would be valuable in my classroom because it will shape my student’s knowledge and it is easy to read for students who show interest in Sandy Koufax. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! would be beneficial in a unit on important historical figures or how athletes of the past shaped the game. 




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