Baseball and Children's Literature


baseball

 
Robin Rickert
An Annotated Bibliography of Sources for a Unit on Baseball

 

Picture Books (Historical Fiction)

 

  1. Corey, Shana. Players in Pigtails. New York: Scholastic Press, 2003. (ages 4-8)                       

The story of how girls come to play baseball.  This is the children’s version of the movie, A League of Their Own.  It illustrates how the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League began.  Go young Katie Casey!  I chose this book because it gives the girls something to be proud of since many of them play softball now.

 

  1. Adler, David. The Babe and I. New York: Gulliver Books, 1999. (ages 6-10)

A story set in 1932, right smack in the middle of the “Great Depression”.  A boy thought that his family was doing fine, but he soon came to find out that when his father leaves every morning, he is not going to work at all.  The boy and his friend, Jacob, began selling newspapers.  The two boys find a secret way to sell the newspapers in order to make a good profit.  It must be a good secret because even Babe Ruth notices!  I chose this book because it is able to incorporate and important historical event into a very enjoyable story.

 

  1. Adler, David. Mama Played Baseball. New York: Gulliver Books, 2003. (ages 4-8)

A story of a girl named Amy whose parents are both members of the armed forces.  Her father is serving in World War II and her mother is one of the first players in the first professional women’s baseball league.  Amy cheers the loudest at every home game, but while her mother is away, she works on a secret surprise for her father when he returns.  A very compelling story!  I chose this story because it allows students to experience through the main character what it would be like to have lived during World War II.  This book illustrates how the nation lived on during the war.

 

       4. Hopkinson, Deborah. Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers,               2003. (ages 4-8)

An outstanding story about the drive and ambition of a young woman.  This fictional story is based on the life of Alta Weiss, who at the age of seventeen was the first female to pitch baseball for a semipro all-male team, the Vermilion Independents.  A very inspiring book for girls!  I chose this book because it is a great story to motivate female students.  It shows all students that boys and girls can do anything.

 

 

Picture Books (Realistic Fiction)

 

  1. McKay, Sindy. Baseball Fever. San Francisco: Treasure Bay, 2003. (ages 4-8)

A great story for young readers.  This “We Both Read” book is about a boy named Jason who is told he has to stay home when he gets sick.  The only problem is that he is supposed to be pitching in an important game in a few days.  Jason must learn how to deal with many disappointments and frustrations during his illness, but has needed support from loved ones.  I chose this book because it is something that every child has gone through one time or another.  It helps them to deal with life when sickness makes them miss out on some important engagements.

 

  1. London, Jonathan. When the Fireflies Come. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2003. (ages 4-8)

During the summer, these children play the game of baseball well into the night.  They play until it becomes too dark to see.  This book will help readers to see the fireflies blink against the black sky and hear the chirp of the crickets at night.  Excellent illustrations!  I chose this book because it uses great descriptive language.  It would be a great supplement for that lesson in a language arts class.

 

  1. Johnson, Neil. Batter Up!. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1990. (ages 4-8)

Encouraged by his friend Peter, Nick (a rookie) tries out for the team.  Readers are brought through his learning the game as well as team members discussing missed plays and great efforts.  This tale ends as Nick swings, makes contact with the ball, and takes off for first base.

 

 

Picture Books (Multicultural Fiction)

 

  1. Mochizuki, Ken. Baseball Saved Us. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc., 1993.       (ages 4-8)

This is a wonderful multicultural story which also happens to be true.  “Shorty” and his family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, are forced into internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  All of these people look for a place to escape to and eventually find a baseball field.  They soon realize that as they play, they are fighting for their dignity and self-respect.  Share this story of Americans playing this national pastime among the guards and barbed-wire fences.  I chose this book because it gives younger children an account of what the world was like after Pearl Harbor.  It introduces the subject without being to “grown-up” about it.

 

 

Folklore

 

  1. Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. Casey at the Bat. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Children, 1994. (ages 4-8)

A poem first written in 1888 is a classic and a great read aloud text.  It is written using classic language that some may not understand, but the gist will be caught.  Thayer is able to bring the reader into the crowd as he explains this nation’s favorite pastime for over one hundred years.  I chose this book because it is so old.  Children will enjoy reading a piece of work that is from so long ago, yet so current.

 

 

Poetry

 

  1. Morrison, Lillian. At the Crack of the Bat. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1992. (ages 9-12)

This book is a collection of baseball poems by a variety of authors.  The poems range from two lines long to an entire page.  Some of the poems include “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by Jack Norworth and “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.  This is a great book for girls and boys to use when studying any type of poetry.

 

 

Novels

 

  1. Deuker, Carl. Painting the Black. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. (young adult)

This novel is about a boy named Ryan Ward who is in his senior year of high school.  He has only just begun to see what magic baseball brings.  He is enjoying baseball until one of his teammates pushes him too far.  He must decide between his love for the game and his integrity.  I chose this book because this is the kind of decision that many young adults must face.  Hopefully this book gives them some guidance.

 

  1. Soto, Gary. Baseball in April and Other Stories. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 1990. (ages 9-12)

This is a unique collection of stories about problems, issues, and small daily events of young Hispanics.  One of the stories happens to be about two friends named Michael and Jesse who try out for the Little League team again.  This is good to use for multicultural education too.

 

  1. Butler, Dori Hallestad. Sliding into Home. Atlanta: Peachtree, 2003. (ages 9-12)

Thirteen-year-old Joelle Cunningham is outraged after finding out she’s not allowed to play on her middle school’s baseball team when she moves to a small town in Iowa.  Joelle starts a one-girl campaign to change this town’s rules and her story eventually makes it to the local news.  This is a great story of a girl who stands up for her beliefs and will do just about anything to protect them.

 

  1. Kennedy, Trish and Timothy Schodorf. Baseball Card Crazy. New York: Charlie Scribner’s Sons, 1993. (ages 9-12)

While visiting his grandparents in Ohio, Oliver O’Malley is determined to find his father’s old baseball card collection.  This short chapter book brings readers through Oliver’s quest to find an unexpected ending.  This book is great for students who are interested in mysteries.

 

 

Biography

 

  1. Thornley, Stew. Mark McGwire: Star Home Run Hitter. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1999. (ages 9-12)

This book follows this famous home run hitter from before his college years to the team he’s famous for playing for.  I chose this book because Mark McGwire is a player almost everyone has heard of.  I am sure all of the students would enjoy learning more about his superstar.

 

 

Informational Books

 

  1. Geng, Don. Fundamental Baseball. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1995. (ages 9-12)

This easy to read informational book explains the fundamentals of baseball.  It begins by explaining the origins of the game and moves on to the basic.  It also contains information on fielding, throwing, hitting, base running, and what to do on the field.  It is also complete with a glossary of baseball terms.  A great guide to the game for those who have never played it or those who want to know more!

 

  1. Kelley, James. Baseball. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000. (ages 9-12)

This sort of picture encyclopedia brings valuable information in a very interesting way.  This book covers information on beginnings, the pros, leagues, equipment, cards, ballparks, the World Series, and Negro leagues.  This book is easy to read and very nice to look at.  It’s packed with information!

 

Professional Resources

  1. I used Amazon.com in order to find the reading levels and summaries of the books I thought might be useful for this project.  It was incredibly easy to use and helped out a lot.
  2. www.bookmag.com- This site is designed to look for children’s books by subject.  When the list of books comes up, it lists the title along with the author and date the book was published.  This is a great resource

 

Internet Sources

Check this site for information on Major League Baseball and how  kids can get involved.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/kids/index.jsp

Check this site to checkout the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

www.baseballhalloffame.org