Dad, Jackie, and me

Name: Dad, Jackie, and me
Author: Myron Uhlberg
ISBN: 9781561453290

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Myron Uhlberg

Reading Level 3-4 LS · Mild · Social Ages 5-8 Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LS, means mild content, mostly social.

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About This Book

Jackie Robinson wasn’t just the first Black player in Major League Baseball—he was a game-changer who helped a boy and his deaf dad come closer than ever through baseball. Imagine cheering for the Dodgers with your dad, sharing every exciting play in sign language, and feeling the magic of Opening Day 1947. This is more than a baseball story; it’s about courage, family, and the power of never giving up.

Themes

TolerationBaseballDeaf RepresentationHistorical Family

Quick Assessment

This historical fiction book tells the story of a young boy and his deaf father bonding over the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers baseball season, highlighting Jackie Robinson’s groundbreaking role as the first Black Major League player. The story explores themes of tolerance, overcoming prejudice, and family connection, making it suitable for early readers ages 5-8. It features gentle depictions of deaf culture and positive messages about resilience and acceptance.

Why we rated Dad, Jackie, and me LS (Mild)

Dad, Jackie, and me is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 32 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage Dad, Jackie, and me on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Dad, Jackie, and me as LS (Mild, mostly social) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. The strongest signals come from social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Dad, Jackie, and me explores toleration, baseball, deaf representation, historical, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about toleration, baseball, deaf representation.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LS · Mild · Social

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Gentle

Social

Moderate ←

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?