|
Who Got Game?
Baseball: Amazing But True Stories!
by Derrick
Barnes, illustrated by JohnJohn Bajet
c.2020, Workman
$12.95 / higher in Canada
172 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
Everybody’s supposed to stay home now.
It’s probably not the “home” you’re thinking about though.
The home you want to see involves running around a
diamond, cheers in your ears, ahhh, you wanna hear that
again. For now, though, you may have to make do with a home
run like Who Got Game? Baseball: Amazing But True
Stories! by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by JohnJohn
Bajet.
|
 |
|
Every day's a great day for baseball, right? But this year,
you may have to wait to watch your favorite players, so why
not learn about the game in the meantime?
For starters, there was once a time when baseball was "for
white men only," and so black players and women made their
own leagues. Even so, baseball wouldn't be baseball without
guys like Andrew "Rube" Foster, who's known as "the father
of the Negro Leagues"; or Hammerin' Hank Greenberg, who
became the first Jewish Hall of Famer; or immigrants like
Ozzie Virgil from the Dominican Republic, or Sadaharo Oh
from Japan.
Through the years, there've been lots of changes to the
game. For one, the spitball was outlawed in 1934, but not
before a player was killed by one. Women have been invited
into the game, first by women's leagues at various times in
history, and later, by the first female baseball executive.
African American players were denied a chance to play so
they made their own leagues, too, and eventually broke the
color barrier in the majors.
In this book, you'll read about forgiveness for a fan.
You'll read about an influential doctor who saved careers,
and players who never let a little disability stop them from
the game. You'll read about "a stinking mule" who was a
mascot, a guy who was hit by 287 pitches during his baseball
career, and a player who had to make good on something he
said.
And if you think age matters in the major leagues, read
about a forty-two-year-old rookie, a seventeen-year-old
strikeout pitcher, and baseball's youngest major leaguer...
For a kid who lives and breathes baseball, this lock-down
must be hard. But dreaming about getting on the ball field
isn't all they can do at this time. They can also read
Who Got Game? Baseball: Amazing But True Stories.
The thing your child will love most is that this book isn't
filled with things he or she already knows. Author Derrick
Barnes and illustrator JohnJohn Bajet dug out tales from the
dugout, sure, but they also include stories of support staff
and non-players who influenced the game. Young readers will
learn about the game from its very inception, as well as
modern stories of baseball, and there's some science hidden
in side-bars. Even just browsing the illustrations inside
this book will invite young players in, and keep them in
their (bleacher) seats.
Absolutely, a true baseball fan will love this book,
especially if they're Little Leaguers or kids ages eight to
15. For them – and you – Who Got Game? Baseball: Amazing
but True Stories! will be a big hit.
|
