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Running the bases into warm spring
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Published: March 15, 2009
With spring comes baseball and other outdoor sports. Our neighbor Shane, a junior, is pitching for our high-school team. A recent picture of him in a newspaper sports section showed his brow furrowed in concentration, his tongue poking out and his stance wound, ready to release a powerful ball from the mound. The March snow might have delayed baseball's start, but the ensuing weather dried the fields and revived the excitement that comes with the phrase, "Play ball!"
B IS FOR BASEBALL: Running the Bases from A to Z. Chronicle Books staff. Chronicle. Ages 3-8. $15.99.
How many stitches are in a baseball? 216. (108 double stitches). Who said, "Never let the fear of striking out get in your way"? Babe Ruth! This ABC book from Chronicle's nifty alphabet series covers every aspect of baseball from the All-American Girls professional women's baseball teams to zingers and zones. Young sports fanatics will love the illustrated pages that summarize baseball's history. A great read for anyone interested in baseball and baseball trivia.
YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?! By Jonah Winter and Andre Carrilho. Random House. Ages 4-9. $17.99.
In this biography of "the greatest lefty who ever pitched in the game of baseball," the baseball career of Sandy Koufax is accompanied by creative illustrations in a metallic sheen. Koufax was recruited into the Brooklyn Dodgers at age 19. Then the team was moved to California, where it became the Los Angeles Dodgers. Koufax proceeded to break pitching records and became a star pitcher. He was also Jewish and quietly displayed pride in his heritage by sitting on the bench rather than pitching on religious holy days, earning pride and respect for his conviction.
Koufax never operated like a "typical" ball player. He took a few years to develop his talent. He retired at his peak. He didn't even seem to prefer baseball as his favorite sport when young. However, this quiet young man grew up to hold some of the most impressive statistics in baseball without the hoopla typically assigned to such achievements.
MUDVILLE. By Kurtis Scaletta. Random House. Ages 9-12. 272 pages. $16.99.
Roy lives in Moundville, more often referred to as "Mudville" (yes, like the hometown from the famous poem "Casey at the Bat"). Moundville has its nickname because 22 years earlier, rain started falling in the middle of a baseball game and has not let up since. Roy and his father, who was playing in that fateful game, try to figure out what caused the downpour. As soon as they think they understand the complicated myths and legends behind the rain, the sun shines in Moundville for the first time in more than two decades.
As they solve the always-changing mystery, baseball fanatics are back on the field for the first time since the rain started. Roy is captain of the talented Moundville team that no one seems to take seriously. Drama erupts when family history is uncovered, Moundville players switch teams, and old rivalries return. Enjoy this funny book about wet fields, boys, baseball and dads who love the game.
TOP OF THE ORDER. By John Coy. Feiwel and Friends. Ages 8-12. 192 pages. $16.99.
Jackson struggles with the same issues many fifth-graders do. His parents' divorce has him navigating two households, even more complicated with his mom's new boyfriend, Ted. Jackson's teacher is a battle ax who seems more inclined to bring active boys down a notch rather than lift them up. Plus, as spring approaches, so does the end of elementary school and the fear associated with starting middle school and leaving friends.
Baseball keeps Jackson motivated and occupied. His grandfather pushes him to join a travel team. Instead, Jackson chooses to keep playing ball with his neighborhood friends. He resists turning baseball into more than a spring sport. Unfortunately, his team's shortstop does leave to play travel ball, and the team is a player short. Trouble erupts when the sister of Gig, their star pitcher and Jackson's best friend, appears.
Gig wants Sydney off the team and off the field, especially when her flashy pink glove seems to scream "girl power." Instead, Sydney proves to be a solid teammate, and Jackson grudgingly realizes that the team is better for her talents. This super book, sure to appeal to upper-elementary boy readers, is a great spring pick. We only wish the ending had not been so abrupt, but with hope, John Coy will turn this into a series with the likable characters of Jackson, Gig, Sydney and their teammates.
THE GIRL WHO THREW BUTTERFLIES. By Mick Cochrane. Random House. Ages 9-12. 192 pages. $15.99.
When Molly's dad dies suddenly in a car accident, the grief she and her mother feel erects a wall between them. Molly, who played catch in the backyard with her father, no longer feels that softball is a good fit for her. She attempts to shed the "poor Molly pity" that seems to blanket her every move and decides to go out for the school baseball team.
While the coaches accept her presence and her talent, not all of the boys on the team do. Despite Molly's killer knuckleball, she has to earn her teammates' acceptance. During baseball season, Molly and her mother also begin communicating again.
With detailed baseball lingo written poetically and the plot of a kid nursing an emotional wound, Mick Cochrane scores a homerun with his touching first young-adult novel -- a hit right in line with both lovers of the sport and readers who enjoy a good story.
■ Monica Young and Hannah Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com. View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com.
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