Search results for ""Author Phil Bildner""

An inspiring picture book biography about Glenn Burke, the first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, and the story of how he created the world's most recognizable handshake, the high five.Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Glenn Burke could do it allhit, throw, run, field. He was the heart of the clubhouse who energized his teammates with his enthusiasm and love for the game. It was that energy that led Glenn to invent the high five one October day back in 1977a spontaneous gesture after a home run that has since evolved into our universal celebratory greeting.But despite creating this joyful symbol, Glenn Burke, a gay Black man, wasn't always given support and shown acceptance in return.From acclaimed author Phil Bildner, with illustrations from Daniel J. O''Brien, this moving picture book biography recognizes the challenges Burke faced while celebrating how his bravery and his now-famous handshake helped pave the way for others to live

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When sixth grader Silas Wade does a school presentation on former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke, it’s more than just a report on the irrepressible inventor of the high five. Burke was a gay baseball player in the 1970s - and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out. Soon he tells his best friend, Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something’s up - especially when he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences. A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner’s most personal novel yet - a powerful story about the challenge of being yourself, especially when it seems others may not be willing to make a place on the field for you as a result.

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When Silas Walker does a school presentation on former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke, it’s more than a report on the inventor of the high five. Burke was a black gay baseball player in the '70s - and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out as gay. Soon he tells his best friend Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects that they know something's up. Kids get pulled from the team, fingers point at Silas, and he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences. Was it a mistake to share his truth? This is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet, and weaves the real history of Glenn Burke into a heartfelt and relatable story of a kid learning just to be himself.

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It's spring of their fifth-grade year and Rip and Red have a thrilling opportunity to participate in a weekend basketball tournament with a few other members of Clifton United. While the tournament is only a short bus ride away, both boys will travel outside their comfort zones. Ultra-competitive Rip must play on a team with kids he doesn't like. But he faces an even bigger hurdle when someone from his past returns, someone he hasn't seen in years, someone who just may derail the entire weekend. As for Red, because of his autism spectrum disorder, he's never travelled anywhere without his mother. Will he muster the courage to take the trip? Fortunately for both boys, also on the team is an unlikely addition, a source of inspiration who helps everyone discover the true meaning of the word champion.

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It's fifth-grade graduation time for Rip and Red, and as part of the celebration, Hoops Machine, the Harlem Globetrotters-like basketball team, is paying a visit. Rip has been chosen to perform with them, but before this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the boys need to finish their schoolwork-including taking their middle-school placement tests. However, when the students of Room 208 begin to question the assessments, a mini opt-out movement gains momentum. All of a sudden, Hoops Machine, middle-school basketball tryouts, and walking at graduation are all in jeopardy, along with Mr. Acevedo's job. But luckily for Rip, Red, their classmates, and their teacher, sometimes when you stand up for what you truly believe in, the people you've touched along the way rally to your corner.

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In New Orleans, there lived a man who saw the streets as his calling, and he swept them clean. He danced up one avenue and down another and everyone danced along. The old ladies whistled and whirled. The old men hooted and hollered. The barbers, bead twirlers, and beignet bakers bounded behind that one-man parade. But then came the rising Mississippi—and a storm greater than anyone had seen before. In this heartwarming book about a real garbage man, Phil Bildner and John Parra tell the inspiring story of a humble man and the heroic difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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