Springtime means sports, especially baseball. Here’s a look at a great new crop of kids’ baseball books, which are packed with both action and inspiration.
It’s a baseball record that was set in 1941, and it hasn’t been broken yet. It’s the season that legendary Red Sox batter Ted Williams hit .406 while the nation cheered him on.
In “No Easy Way” (ages 7 to 12, $16.99), author Fred Bowen describes how, as a young man, Williams began to practice incessantly in his quest to become one of baseball’s top hitters. His hard work paid off when he hit 31 home runs in his rookie year with the Red Sox. Then came the 1941 season, when Williams’ batting average was above .400 through the summer and into September.
Bowen, a sports novelist for kids and the sports columnist for the KidsPost page of The Washington Post, does a marvelous job of building up the suspense as Williams faced two last baseball games in 1941.
Honus Wagner was destined to be a coal miner. That’s what boys did after sixth grade in Chartiers, Pa. But Honus Wagner wasn’t just any boy, and at the age of 16, he began his baseball career.
In “All Star!” (ages 7 to 10, $17.99), author Jane Yolen writes of Wagner’s determination to become a baseball star. Wagner, who eventually joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, was known for his barrel chest, bowed legs and huge hands. But he also became famous for his amazing talent.
As Yolen writes: “Honus had more home runs, RBIs, doubles, triples; he had more steals; and he played in more games than any other player in the National League. Clearly, he was a great baseball player … some say the greatest baseball player ever.”
Mike Lupica, longtime sports reporter and ESPN commentator, has built a second career as a sports novelist for kids.
He demonstrates his skills in his latest book, “The Batboy” (ages 8 to 12. $17.99), in which Lupica tells the story of Brian Dudley, a batboy for the Detroit Tigers who dreams of finally connecting with his often-absent father.
As usual, Lupica’s story is a wonderful blend of baseball and drama.
In “Clemente!” (ages 5 to 10, $16.99), author Willie Perdomo and artist Bryan Collier team up to offer an outstanding picture-book biography of an inspiring athlete.
Perdomo tells the story through the eyes of a young boy, who is named Clemente after his parents’ favorite athlete.
Roberto Clemente’s inspiring story includes his humanitarian work, especially his last effort to help Nicaraguan earthquake-relief efforts.
Clemente died in a plane crash en route to Nicaragua, and his body was never found.
Older readers will enjoy “Roberto &Me” (ages 8 to 12, $15.99), the latest in the “Baseball Card Adventure” series by Dan Gutman. As fans of the series know, Joe Stoshack has the ability to travel back into time just by touching a baseball card.
In this adventure, Joe heads back to 1969, first landing at Woodstock and then hitching a ride to Cleveland to try to warn Clemente against taking the plane on which he would die several years later.
After he gets home, Joe is visited by his great-grandson, who invites him to see the devastation caused by global warming.
These two very separate strands — Clemente and global warming — come together somehow in Gutman’s capable hands, and readers will find themselves turning the pages to see what happens next.
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