Who’s on First?

The love of reading doesn’t come from counting pages or awards for the most books read. Baseball fans will understand that you have to watch a few go by before the right pitch, or the right book, comes along. Try these out for size - - maybe one of them will be a home run for your budding reader!

Roasted Peanuts by Tim Eagan (Houghton Miflin). Two friends, a horse named Sam and a cat named Jackson, love baseball and watch games together at Grant Field. But when one makes the local team and the other does not, they face the real challenge of sadness and frustration of being apart. Is there any solution? The old fashioned baseball images will make you nostalgic for a simpler time. (Ages 4 – 8)

Mudball by Matt Tavares (Candlewick). In 1903, with zero home runs to his name, Andy Oyler approaches the plate in a downpour. He is the shortest player in the league and instead of calling the game due to rain, the umpire lets Oyler bat, thinking it will be a quick out and the end of the game. Instead, the shortest grand slam home run ever is hit. Goofier than Casey at the Bat, and more inspiring because of the hero. (Ages 5 – 10)

The Big Field by Mike Lupica (Penguin). Lupica delivers another winning story to his fans. Playing on “the big field” on television is 14-year-old Kevin Hutchinson’s dream. But when a cocky newcomer takes his beloved shortstop position, Kevin’s frustrations lead to impulsivity. The supporting characters, Kevin’s dad and his best friend Cody, provide depth and insight into the life of a gifted athlete, while the baseball action is bursting with tension. (Ages 10 and up)

Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Terry Widener (Schwartz). Alta Weiss played semi-pro baseball as a pitcher in the early 1900s. This story follows nine highlights of her life, putting her talent and determination front and center. In the ninth inning, she is shown graduating from an all-male medical school in 1914. Includes an impressive timeline about women’s baseball. (Ages 5 – 10)

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Hyperion). In this moving and important story, the narrator is an anonymous voice who tells the true history of the Negro League from its inception through its demise in 1960. The joy of baseball pierces through the grinding hardship, trials and obstacles. Buck O’Neill would be proud. (Ages 6 and up)

Julie Hubble grew up in Chicago and was a Cubs fan as a child. And of course, she still is…