H is For Home Run! A Baseball Alphabet FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Kathie M. Josephs
Where do I start? This book has so much to offer. If you are looking for a book about baseball, then this is the one for you. It will suit the needs of beginning players, those who are avid fans, and those who don't quite understand the game, but want to. Yes, it is an alphabet book that cleverly explains terms, baseball vocabulary, and plays while pulling the reader into the game. If you don't play baseball, this might just get you excited enough to grab your coat and go to a batting cage to experience what it is like to hit a ball. Included on each page is a colored four-inch side strip that gives the history of the word for the page. It also includes another term for the same letter. "K is for kids everywhere who keep their baseball card and kiss the ball goodbye over the fence in their back yard." In the strip the reader will also learn that "K is also a symbol for a strikeout when a fan is keeping score of a baseball game." The illustrations are spectacular, and each time you look at them, you will see something you missed. I can't praise this book enough. Hopefully, more like this one will follow. 2004, Sleeping Bear Press, Ages 4 to 12.
School Library Journal
Gr 1-4-In keeping with the established format of this series, Herzog provides a baseball-related term for each letter of the alphabet. Each page contains the letter in upper- and lowercase as well as an alliterative verse that often makes reading aloud a challenge. The accompanying sidebars, set in a smaller font, provide additional facts for advanced enthusiasts, possibly ESL students-it is difficult to determine the audience for this mixed format. Tricky letters such as U, W, X, and Z are incorporated within the theme more effortlessly than perhaps the Q: "Q is when a base runner/moves at a quick pace./Quietly, he has a quest--/stealing second base." Dramatic, action-packed paintings done from a variety of perspectives capture the energy, personalities, and excitement of the game. Supplemental.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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