Skip to main content

If You Like... Baseball

 To celebrate Major League Baseball's opening day, here are some books to read about the American pastime. 

Lucy Tries Baseball
Written by Lisa Bowes
Illustrated by James Hearne
British Columbia: Orca Book Publishers, 2023. Picture Book.

Lucy is learning to play catch with her dad when Coach Al invites her to play with his team instead. She learns the basics of baseball, like hitting and fielding, then joins in on the first practice. At first, Lucy is scared that she is going to get hit by a pitch and is afraid to be up to bat. But, eventually Lucy learns to love the game. This book would be a great resource to prepare kids for their first practice and will be relatable to anyone who's tried a new sport.

By Ethan Long
New York: Holiday House, 2023. Easy Reader.

Hoggy knows he will be good at baseball. He doesn't have any basis for that knowledge, but he firmly believes it anyway. So when he gets two strikes during his first at bat, he doesn't know how to respond to the pressure of wanting to hit a home run with one ball left. This easy reader, which uses few words per page in its comic format, will give encouragement to any child who has ever been afraid to strike out.

By Beth Bulger
Chicago, IL: Triumph Books LLC, 2023. Easy Informational. 

If you are looking for a great book with simple explanations for someone who doesn't have any background knowledge of baseball, this is a great choice! It explains the rules of the game, the format of baseball, and terms you'll need to know. It also has pictures of real MLB players interspersed throughout, so even kids who know baseball will enjoy trying to spot their favorites!

By Sandra W. Headen
New York: Holiday House, 2024. Fiction.

In 1939 North Carolina, Cato and his teammates want nothing more than to play on the new field that was just erected in his city. Unfortunately, it's a whites-only field. When they sneak onto the field anyway and get caught, they propose that their team compete with the white team to see who the winner would be in a series of head-to-head battles. As the forthcoming game spurs episodes of racial violence, Cato's black community must rally around each other to stay safe. Mixing in historical context with the love of the game, this book is a great choice for those who want to learn more about the history of baseball.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

Review: Growing Home

Growing Home Written by Beth Ferry Illustrated by The Fan Brothers New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 261 pages. This book has some entertaining characters! We get to read about Toasty, the goldfish who loves to eat cheese puffs, Ivy, a plant with magical powers, and Arthur, the spider who ends up with a broken leg. Jillian is the main human character in the book. She loves Toasty and Ivy, and would probably love Arthur, too, but she doesn't know about him....yet. Her parents own an antique shop, but they are facing some economic hardship.  This charming story is about magic, teamwork, and friendship. I loved that there were all kinds of shenanigans happening. While we are on a journey where the fish, the plant, the spider, and the girl are working to solve one mystery after another, the author beautifully guides us to the realization that words are powerful, friendships can heal hearts, and books have their own magic power to help in all kinds ...