Non-fiction illustrated books have a special place in the classroom and library. Depending on the reader’s level they can provide a brief introduction into a true story, a deeper dive into a piece of history, motivate further reading, or more. Pigskins to Paintbrushes, The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes is one of those illustrated books that will have readers in those categories and more. It’s a book that will also draw in those kids who want to read about sports. Of course, all of this is a moot point unless the book is entertaining and one that kids will relate to.
Author/illustrator Don Tate’s work in the book is motivational, makes you angry, reminds you of someone that you know, and will leave you cheering for Barnes’ life. If the book had a soundtrack it could be done by Survivor, with The Final Countdown being piped in from time to time.
As a Black kid growing up in North Carolina in the 1930’s he experienced the waning days of segregation. His mother worked as a housecleaner for an attorney and he’d often accompany her to work so that he could look at the works of art and books that were in the house’s library. He loved art, played the trombone, and wasn’t fond of sports, because of that he was often bullied at school. In junior high he was still getting picked on, so he decided to play football in an effort to get friends and respect.
Have you ever been to North Carolina during football season? It’s hot, humid and it was that heat that made him realize that this might not be the best use of his time, so he quit. But he was a big kid and when he got to high school the pressure, partially brought on by his mom, reared its head again. He decided to join the football team, but also kept on drawing to keep his spirits up.
A chance encounter with Mr. Tucker, the weight-lifting coach, would prove to change his life. They talked about his artwork, school, football, and bodybuilding. Tucker suggested that if he wanted to get better at football the key was building more muscle and endurance. After a summer’s worth of working out the previously picked on Ernie Barnes was now 250 pounds of muscle in a six-foot-three package.
He was great at playing high school football and offered a full ride to an all-Black university in the state. Just like in high school, he excelled on the team, but also kept painting and drawing. Often times he’d pull from his real-life experiences on subjects that he’d paint, like his time on the football field. He went on to play football in the NFL, but that’s not the high point of this story. As his career was winding down, he pitched the idea of him becoming the Official Artist of the American Football League. We won’t spoil the ending, but he ended up having his artwork exhibited at the North Carolina Museum of Art, a place where he was once told by an employee there that “Black people don’t express themselves artistically.”
Pigskins to Paintbrushes is a rewarding book on many levels. The artwork perfectly matches the text. The text is on a level that most fourth-graders will be able to read the book without any assistance. If you’re going to read the book aloud then it’ll take just under 15 minutes because young readers will also want to see the art. The end of the book features some real-life images, author’s notes, an afterward with more information on Barnes’ life, bibliography, and sources for more information.
It’s an intelligent illustrated book that makes young readers want to learn more. Moreover, the ‘learning more’ could cross over into any number of interests, like sports, civil rights, art or other real-life people that kids thought they didn’t need to know about. Pigskins to Paintbrushes is a book that’ll end up somewhere in your forever library, it might just even start a sports section in ours.
Pigskins to Paintbrushes The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes is by Don Tate and available on Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams Books.
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