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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nBooks About Baseball<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNext best thing to a great game of baseball are great baseball books. Here’s a Librarian’s List<\/strong> to get you started (listed in order of age range):<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Skead_Something](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSomething to Prove: the Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio<\/em> by Robert Skead and illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Carolrhoda Books, 2013).<\/strong> Hot off the press, this beautifully illustrated picture book describes the meet-up between legendary pitching great, Satchel Paige, and the hottest rookie of the year, Joe DiMaggio. Remember: at the time, baseball leagues were segregated. A white team was looking at DiMaggio, but they wanted to be sure he was good, really good, before shaking things up. Satchel Paige was the perfect test. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nTake Me Out to the Yakyu <\/em>by Aaron Meshon (Atheneum, 2013). From my review<\/a>:<\/strong> Take Me Out\u00a0to the Yakyu<\/em>\u00a0is a colorful, joyous celebration of two cultures, two grandparents, and baseball. Using symmetrical text and images, Meshon compares and contrasts an outing to a baseball game with a boy\u2019s two different grandfathers: one outing is in America\u00a0with the American grandfather, and the other is in Japan with the Japanese grandfather.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 4 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\nSatchel Paige Don’t Look Back<\/em> by David A. Adler and illustrated by Terry Widener (Harcourt, 2007).<\/strong> A Satchel Paige biography (as opposed to the one-time event book just listed) by prolific picture book biographer David Adler, this is perfect for young baseball fans who want to know more (Recommended for kindergarten and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nBrothers at Bat: the True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team<\/em> by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Steven Salerno (Clarion, 2012).<\/strong> Janie’s reviewed this gem<\/a> before, but I wanted to remind you\u2014it’s a GREAT book. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story<\/em> by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Don Tate (Collins, 2010).<\/strong> A woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame!? That’s Effa Manley, a devotee of baseball if there ever was one. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nQueen of the Diamond<\/em> by Emily Arnold McCully (FSG, 2015). From my review<\/a>:<\/strong> A few pioneering women loved [baseball], too, and played their hearts out. Lizzie Murphy helped her brother practice throwing and catching until she was as good as he was. Cleverly, she managed to get a spot on his team and proved her mettle. Eventually, she became the first player\u2014man OR woman\u2014to play for both the American and National League All-Star teams. Watercolor illustrations capture Lizzie\u2019s spunk and talent as her pigtails fly with her skirts.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThere Goes Ted Williams: the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived<\/em> by Matt Tavares (Candlewick, 2012). <\/strong> Sometimes, an athlete has a signature gift, a real talent. That’s Ted Williams. Consistently, he hit that ball–and hit it well. Perfect inspiration for those young baseball players working on perfecting their batting skills. For more information on Tavares, check out this video about his art<\/a>. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe Are the Ship: the Story of Negro League Baseb<\/em><\/strong>a<\/em><\/strong>ll<\/em> <\/strong>by Kad<\/strong>ir Nelson (Jump at the Sun, 2008).<\/strong> Nelson’s artwork coupled with the size and length of this book make it a perfect coffee table book for the baseball lovin’ family. Lush paintings of famous players (all from the perspective of a child, so we look up at the man) and Nelson’s use of “we” throughout the book make for an engaging read of the history of the Negro Leagues. Told with honesty and without rancor, this book tells a much needed story of baseball’s early years in this country. (Recommended for ages 7 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nStem in the World Series<\/em> by Marne Ventura (SportsZone, 2020).<\/strong> STEM in the World Series looks at the four STEM categories (science, technology, engineering, and math) in turn, examining how each has contributed to the grand game of baseball. Physics (science) has helped players know whether to slide headfirst or feet first into home plate. Technology has helped us watch the game in our own homes. Engineering informs those who build stadiums and even contributed to the invention of artificial turf. And math\u2026 well, any baseball fan knows that numbers are involved. Reviewed here<\/a><\/strong>. (Ages 7 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nStealing Home: Jackie Robinson Against the Odds<\/em> by Robert Burleigh (Simon & Schuster, 2007). From Janie’s review<\/a>:<\/strong> The illustrations give you a feeling of an old-time baseball game. This gripping picture book is written in a poetic style paced to make you turn just one more page. Great for all baseball fans from seven to seventy. (Recommended for ages 8-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\nSilent Star<\/em> by Bill Wise (Lee and Low, 2014). From my review<\/a>:<\/strong> Baseball games are full of distinctive sounds: the crack as the ball and bat make contact, the roar of the crowd, the umpire\u2019s \u201cStrike!\u201d Imagine if a professional baseball player was deaf, couldn\u2019t hear these sounds at all? William Hoy was such a player\u2014one of the first professional deaf baseball players ever.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 8-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe Dog That Pitched a No-Hitter<\/em> by Matt Christopher and illustrated by Daniel Vasconcellos (Little, Brown, 1988)<\/strong>. Have a young boy who’s just started reading independently and loves sports? This is a great little series about a boy who can communicate with his dog telepathically, and his dog just so happens to be great at sports. A couple of volumes are about baseball. You’ll find it in the juvenile shelves, not the easy reader section. (Recommended for ages 4 and up; target age is probably 6-9).<\/p>\n\n\n\nBaseball Is…<\/em> by Louise Borden (Simon and Schuster, 2014). From Janie’s review<\/a>:<\/strong> This lavish picture book is best described as an ode to a game that\u2019s still justly called our national pastime. The passion for baseball has a small-town, homegrown feel about it, even for big-city fans who grew up with the Yankees or White Sox. The author\u2019s love of baseball (which the illustrator seems to share) isn\u2019t just personal; it\u2019s almost mythic as she weaves memory with historical fact and legend. (Recommended for ages 4 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Only Game<\/em> by Mike Lupica (Simon and Schuster, 2015). From Janie’s review<\/a>:<\/strong> Most of the drama comes from baseball itself\u2014the plays, the tactics, the last-minute saves and misses. If you love the game, you\u2019ll love this novel. For non-baseball fans the attraction won\u2019t be as strong, as there\u2019s little in the way of sustained tension. Misunderstandings get resolved fairly easily and the deepest emotions remain unplumbed\u2014but that\u2019s fine for the kind of book it is. Sports novels for kids tend to showcase clean living, healthy competition, striving for and reaching goals, and facing down fears. Friends are true-blue, enemies can be won over, and parents usually know best.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 8 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nPlunked<\/em> by Michael Northrop (Scholastic, 2012)<\/strong>. Sometimes, you just want to quit, to not persevere through something hard, to not face your fears. This is just what 12-year-old Jack faces in\u00a0Plunked<\/em> after he gets hit with a baseball. And yet, he’s grown up playing baseball, and he’s a starter this year. A solid story of a boy who learns to hang in there and get back in the game. (Recommended for ages 9 and up, although it is accessible for strong, younger readers).<\/p>\n\n\n\nSoar<\/em> by Joan Bauer (Viking, 2015). From Janie’s review<\/a><\/strong>: It\u2019s a middle-school version of\u00a0Field of Dreams<\/em>, with the same mystical aura surrounding the game.\u00a0 But Jeremiah has a unique, enjoyable voice, and from the beginning we know he\u2019s a kid with heart (get it?) who seems wise beyond his years.\u00a0 Soar<\/em>\u00a0offers no profound insights, but it\u2019s a pleasant way to take us out to the ball game. (Recommended for ages 10 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\nLizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy<\/em> by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion, 2004). From my review<\/a><\/strong>: When Turner Ernest Buckminster, III, moves to Phippsburg, Maine, from Boston, Maryland, he fervently hopes the town knows how to play baseball. But Phippsburg, Maine, is not at all what [Turner expects]. For starters, they play baseball like no baseball Turner\u2019s ever seen. And everyone seems to be vigilantly watchful, particularly over Turner\u2019s ability to be a proper \u201cminister\u2019s son.\u201d Turner finally meets a friend, Lizzie Bright, only to find out that he\u2019s disgracing his ministerial father (again). The (white) town doesn\u2019t approve of (black) Lizzie nor her poverty-stricken community on Malaga Island. Events spiral out of Turner\u2019s control even as he struggles to do the right thing, to love his neighbors (all of them), and to be a true friend. (Recommended for ages 12 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\nChange-Up: Mystery at the World Series<\/em> by John Feinstein (Knopf, 2009)<\/strong>. I really enjoyed Feinstein’s Rush for the Gold<\/em> last year<\/strong><\/a> and was glad he had a baseball book for me to recommend! Feinstein can create a great mystery, but he also shows some interesting behind-the-scenes action for major sporting events in his Final Four Mysteries. The two main characters are high school reporters (Stevie and Susan Carol). They tackle some interesting ethical questions in Change-Up<\/em>, such as when to report an interesting story, and when to simply sit on it for the good of the man in question. (Recommended for ages 14 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are YOUR favorite baseball-themed books? Does your family enjoy heading to the ballpark?<\/h3>\n\n\n\nFor more books on baseball, check out the 736.3 section of your library’s Dewey shelves (other sports are also in the 790s). For other sports books reviewed here on Redeemed Reader, check out Emily’s round-up of hopeful sports books<\/a>, Janie’s recent Final Four (plus one) lineup<\/a>, gymnast Gabby Douglas’s autobiography<\/a>, Janie’s review of Unstoppable<\/a>, and Janie’s round-up of some football books<\/a>. Book cover images thanks to goodreads; ARC of Something to Prove<\/span> thanks to publisher via netgalley; other books from my local library.
<\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Originally published at Redeemed Reader on May 27, 2013; updated July, 2023) Aside from the beach, nothing says “summertime” and “American” more than a game of baseball, complete with hot dog, iced beverage, bleachers, and the elusive foul ball dropping into the stands. Our local Minor League team has great promotions all summer that include…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":38781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4079,4,7,13,16,17,22,4827],"tags":[388,4447,1062,2296,2669,2865,3165,4916],"class_list":["post-8649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booklists","category-boys-book-reviews","category-easy-readers-book-reviews","category-middle-grades","category-nonfiction","category-picture-books-2","category-resources","category-teen-ya","tag-baseball","tag-book-lists","tag-easy-readers","tag-middle-grades","tag-picture-books","tag-resources","tag-sports","tag-teen-ya"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSomething to Prove: the Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio<\/em> by Robert Skead and illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Carolrhoda Books, 2013).<\/strong> Hot off the press, this beautifully illustrated picture book describes the meet-up between legendary pitching great, Satchel Paige, and the hottest rookie of the year, Joe DiMaggio. Remember: at the time, baseball leagues were segregated. A white team was looking at DiMaggio, but they wanted to be sure he was good, really good, before shaking things up. Satchel Paige was the perfect test. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take Me Out to the Yakyu <\/em>by Aaron Meshon (Atheneum, 2013). From my review<\/a>:<\/strong> Take Me Out\u00a0to the Yakyu<\/em>\u00a0is a colorful, joyous celebration of two cultures, two grandparents, and baseball. Using symmetrical text and images, Meshon compares and contrasts an outing to a baseball game with a boy\u2019s two different grandfathers: one outing is in America\u00a0with the American grandfather, and the other is in Japan with the Japanese grandfather.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 4 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Satchel Paige Don’t Look Back<\/em> by David A. Adler and illustrated by Terry Widener (Harcourt, 2007).<\/strong> A Satchel Paige biography (as opposed to the one-time event book just listed) by prolific picture book biographer David Adler, this is perfect for young baseball fans who want to know more (Recommended for kindergarten and up).<\/p>\n\n\n Brothers at Bat: the True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team<\/em> by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Steven Salerno (Clarion, 2012).<\/strong> Janie’s reviewed this gem<\/a> before, but I wanted to remind you\u2014it’s a GREAT book. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story<\/em> by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Don Tate (Collins, 2010).<\/strong> A woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame!? That’s Effa Manley, a devotee of baseball if there ever was one. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Queen of the Diamond<\/em> by Emily Arnold McCully (FSG, 2015). From my review<\/a>:<\/strong> A few pioneering women loved [baseball], too, and played their hearts out. Lizzie Murphy helped her brother practice throwing and catching until she was as good as he was. Cleverly, she managed to get a spot on his team and proved her mettle. Eventually, she became the first player\u2014man OR woman\u2014to play for both the American and National League All-Star teams. Watercolor illustrations capture Lizzie\u2019s spunk and talent as her pigtails fly with her skirts.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n There Goes Ted Williams: the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived<\/em> by Matt Tavares (Candlewick, 2012). <\/strong> Sometimes, an athlete has a signature gift, a real talent. That’s Ted Williams. Consistently, he hit that ball–and hit it well. Perfect inspiration for those young baseball players working on perfecting their batting skills. For more information on Tavares, check out this video about his art<\/a>. (Recommended for ages 4 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We Are the Ship: the Story of Negro League Baseb<\/em><\/strong>a<\/em><\/strong>ll<\/em> <\/strong>by Kad<\/strong>ir Nelson (Jump at the Sun, 2008).<\/strong> Nelson’s artwork coupled with the size and length of this book make it a perfect coffee table book for the baseball lovin’ family. Lush paintings of famous players (all from the perspective of a child, so we look up at the man) and Nelson’s use of “we” throughout the book make for an engaging read of the history of the Negro Leagues. Told with honesty and without rancor, this book tells a much needed story of baseball’s early years in this country. (Recommended for ages 7 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stem in the World Series<\/em> by Marne Ventura (SportsZone, 2020).<\/strong> STEM in the World Series looks at the four STEM categories (science, technology, engineering, and math) in turn, examining how each has contributed to the grand game of baseball. Physics (science) has helped players know whether to slide headfirst or feet first into home plate. Technology has helped us watch the game in our own homes. Engineering informs those who build stadiums and even contributed to the invention of artificial turf. And math\u2026 well, any baseball fan knows that numbers are involved. Reviewed here<\/a><\/strong>. (Ages 7 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson Against the Odds<\/em> by Robert Burleigh (Simon & Schuster, 2007). From Janie’s review<\/a>:<\/strong> The illustrations give you a feeling of an old-time baseball game. This gripping picture book is written in a poetic style paced to make you turn just one more page. Great for all baseball fans from seven to seventy. (Recommended for ages 8-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silent Star<\/em> by Bill Wise (Lee and Low, 2014). From my review<\/a>:<\/strong> Baseball games are full of distinctive sounds: the crack as the ball and bat make contact, the roar of the crowd, the umpire\u2019s \u201cStrike!\u201d Imagine if a professional baseball player was deaf, couldn\u2019t hear these sounds at all? William Hoy was such a player\u2014one of the first professional deaf baseball players ever.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 8-10).<\/p>\n\n\n The Dog That Pitched a No-Hitter<\/em> by Matt Christopher and illustrated by Daniel Vasconcellos (Little, Brown, 1988)<\/strong>. Have a young boy who’s just started reading independently and loves sports? This is a great little series about a boy who can communicate with his dog telepathically, and his dog just so happens to be great at sports. A couple of volumes are about baseball. You’ll find it in the juvenile shelves, not the easy reader section. (Recommended for ages 4 and up; target age is probably 6-9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baseball Is…<\/em> by Louise Borden (Simon and Schuster, 2014). From Janie’s review<\/a>:<\/strong> This lavish picture book is best described as an ode to a game that\u2019s still justly called our national pastime. The passion for baseball has a small-town, homegrown feel about it, even for big-city fans who grew up with the Yankees or White Sox. The author\u2019s love of baseball (which the illustrator seems to share) isn\u2019t just personal; it\u2019s almost mythic as she weaves memory with historical fact and legend. (Recommended for ages 4 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Only Game<\/em> by Mike Lupica (Simon and Schuster, 2015). From Janie’s review<\/a>:<\/strong> Most of the drama comes from baseball itself\u2014the plays, the tactics, the last-minute saves and misses. If you love the game, you\u2019ll love this novel. For non-baseball fans the attraction won\u2019t be as strong, as there\u2019s little in the way of sustained tension. Misunderstandings get resolved fairly easily and the deepest emotions remain unplumbed\u2014but that\u2019s fine for the kind of book it is. Sports novels for kids tend to showcase clean living, healthy competition, striving for and reaching goals, and facing down fears. Friends are true-blue, enemies can be won over, and parents usually know best.\u00a0(Recommended for ages 8 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n Plunked<\/em> by Michael Northrop (Scholastic, 2012)<\/strong>. Sometimes, you just want to quit, to not persevere through something hard, to not face your fears. This is just what 12-year-old Jack faces in\u00a0Plunked<\/em> after he gets hit with a baseball. And yet, he’s grown up playing baseball, and he’s a starter this year. A solid story of a boy who learns to hang in there and get back in the game. (Recommended for ages 9 and up, although it is accessible for strong, younger readers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soar<\/em> by Joan Bauer (Viking, 2015). From Janie’s review<\/a><\/strong>: It\u2019s a middle-school version of\u00a0Field of Dreams<\/em>, with the same mystical aura surrounding the game.\u00a0 But Jeremiah has a unique, enjoyable voice, and from the beginning we know he\u2019s a kid with heart (get it?) who seems wise beyond his years.\u00a0 Soar<\/em>\u00a0offers no profound insights, but it\u2019s a pleasant way to take us out to the ball game. (Recommended for ages 10 and up)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy<\/em> by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion, 2004). From my review<\/a><\/strong>: When Turner Ernest Buckminster, III, moves to Phippsburg, Maine, from Boston, Maryland, he fervently hopes the town knows how to play baseball. But Phippsburg, Maine, is not at all what [Turner expects]. For starters, they play baseball like no baseball Turner\u2019s ever seen. And everyone seems to be vigilantly watchful, particularly over Turner\u2019s ability to be a proper \u201cminister\u2019s son.\u201d Turner finally meets a friend, Lizzie Bright, only to find out that he\u2019s disgracing his ministerial father (again). The (white) town doesn\u2019t approve of (black) Lizzie nor her poverty-stricken community on Malaga Island. Events spiral out of Turner\u2019s control even as he struggles to do the right thing, to love his neighbors (all of them), and to be a true friend. (Recommended for ages 12 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series<\/em> by John Feinstein (Knopf, 2009)<\/strong>. I really enjoyed Feinstein’s Rush for the Gold<\/em> last year<\/strong><\/a> and was glad he had a baseball book for me to recommend! Feinstein can create a great mystery, but he also shows some interesting behind-the-scenes action for major sporting events in his Final Four Mysteries. The two main characters are high school reporters (Stevie and Susan Carol). They tackle some interesting ethical questions in Change-Up<\/em>, such as when to report an interesting story, and when to simply sit on it for the good of the man in question. (Recommended for ages 14 and up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Originally published at Redeemed Reader on May 27, 2013; updated July, 2023) Aside from the beach, nothing says “summertime” and “American” more than a game of baseball, complete with hot dog, iced beverage, bleachers, and the elusive foul ball dropping into the stands. Our local Minor League team has great promotions all summer that include…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":38781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4079,4,7,13,16,17,22,4827],"tags":[388,4447,1062,2296,2669,2865,3165,4916],"class_list":["post-8649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booklists","category-boys-book-reviews","category-easy-readers-book-reviews","category-middle-grades","category-nonfiction","category-picture-books-2","category-resources","category-teen-ya","tag-baseball","tag-book-lists","tag-easy-readers","tag-middle-grades","tag-picture-books","tag-resources","tag-sports","tag-teen-ya"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"she](\"https:\/\/redeemedreader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/she-loved-baseball-233x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"nelson_we](\"https:\/\/redeemedreader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/nelson_we-are-the-ship-298x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Christopher_dog\"](\"https:\/\/redeemedreader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Christopher_dog-221x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Feinstein_Change](\"https:\/\/redeemedreader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Feinstein_Change-Up-201x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat are YOUR favorite baseball-themed books? Does your family enjoy heading to the ballpark?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For more books on baseball, check out the 736.3 section of your library’s Dewey shelves (other sports are also in the 790s). For other sports books reviewed here on Redeemed Reader, check out Emily’s round-up of hopeful sports books<\/a>, Janie’s recent Final Four (plus one) lineup<\/a>, gymnast Gabby Douglas’s autobiography<\/a>, Janie’s review of Unstoppable<\/a>, and Janie’s round-up of some football books<\/a>. Book cover images thanks to goodreads; ARC of Something to Prove<\/span> thanks to publisher via netgalley; other books from my local library.
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