Home Run Books

Ah, baseball…the all-American sport. Whether you grew up on a farm in Idaho or in a high-rise in Manhattan, you probably watched and played baseball from the time you could walk. But I have a confession to make:  To me, the game moves too slowly for me to enjoy watching. Okay, I have another confession:  As for playing baseball, well let’s just say if I managed to hit the ball, it was a line drive straight to first base. If there were already two outs when it was my turn up to bat, everyone would start changing places early. My team would start walking onto the field, and the fielders would come in to form their batting line-up. Once, and only once, I caught a pop fly, and then I stood there, frozen with amazement.

So why, you may well ask, did I choose to review baseball books? Well, many baseball books aren’t really about baseball. They are about persistence, hard work, and growing up.  Anyone can relate to that. In spite of my angst-ridden PE experiences, something stirs inside me when I think of baseball. The field…..The organ music….The cheering crowds…. Play ball!

“Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen”
Marissa Moss, Illustrated by CF Payne
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; 1 edition (January 27, 2004)
ISBN-13: 978-0689863295

 Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig both struck out by a 17 year old girl!? It’s true! During an exhibition game in 1931, Jackie Mitchell, the pitcher for the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts, struck out both famous players. The crowd went wild!  Ruth and Gehrig were both past their prime, but striking out both of them at age 17 is quite an accomplishment.  The fact that Jackie was female made her achievement earth-shattering. The Author’s Note gives some more background; after the game, the baseball commissioner immediately banned Jackie from playing in the major and minor leagues. After all, baseball is way too strenuous for a delicate woman. Ahem. 

“One-Handed Catch”
MJ Auch
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (March 3, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0312535759

“One-Handed Catch” is a 2010 Nutmeg Book Award nominee. Much more than a simple baseball tale, this coming-of-age story takes place right after WWII. Norm, age 11, loves baseball. He wants to be either a baseball player or an artist when he grows up. But then, he loses his left hand working the meat grinder in his father’s grocery store. Of course, Norm and his family have to come to terms with the accident. He struggles with ordinary tasks such as tying shoes. But Norm perseveres, and learns to catch, hit and pitch one-handed.  And tie his shoes.

“The Year Mom Won the Pennant”
Matt Christopher
Paperback: 147 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 30, 1986)
ISBN-13: 978-0316139885

If you have a sports crazy 1st-3rd grader, try Matt Christopher. He has written chapter books on just about every sport. There are at least 10 about baseball. In “The Year Mom Won the Pennant,” Nick’s dad can’t coach this year, and neither can any of the other dads.  So….Nick’s MOM is coaching the Thunderballs?! Yikes, can she pull it off??  Or will the Tornadoes win another pennant?  OK, the title gives it away, but it’s a good story about coming together as a team.  Lots of play-by-play action. 

“Baseball Crazy: Ten Short Stories That Cover All the Bases"
Nancy Mercado
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (February 5, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0142413715

“Baseball Crazy” is a collection of short stories about baseball by authors such as Jerry Spinelli.  The stories cover a wide variety of topics besides baseball.  Frank Portman’s “Mark Pang and the Impossible Square” is about what goes through Mark Pang’s mind as the ball comes toward him during a game, including why he is playing ball in the first place.  Sue Corbett’s “Fall Ball” is about discovering girls, growing up and possibly growing out of baseball.

“Here Comes the Strikeout”
Leonard Kessler
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (January 1, 1900)
ISBN-13: 978-0064440110

Lucky hats?  Lucky bats??  This easy reader is about a boy who learns that hitting the ball isn’t luck at all; it just takes hard work. 

Note: Older kids might enjoy reading authors Mike Lupica or John H. Ritter. There are also a lot of biographies of famous ball players.

I know a lot of games have been cancelled this week.  Let’s hope for better baseball weather!