S is for Slugger

April 1, 2020

Gr 2-5-Serious baseball fans will love this comprehensive, vividly illustrated alphabet book featuring specific baseball lore and culture as well as some of the biggest names in the game. The format provides a wide-reaching scope of topics. Each letter highlights a different player or players and explains why they were so well known. Some of the letters include historical information; "P" is for pioneers includes Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Leagues, and Mamie Johnson, the first woman to pitch in the Negro Leagues. Some pages mention game-specific vocabulary ("K" is for strikeout). The artwork is visually striking-bold colors and hard lines give a nod to the superhero status of some baseball players. Readers will enjoy some of the wordplay visuals that accompany each letter: "Z" is for Zzzzz and shows the Sandman, Mariano Rivera, putting bats to bed while "H" for Hammering Hank Aaron depicts the Hall of Famer holding an extra-large hammer like a baseball bat. The ABC format is an interesting choice. The text is short and to the point, but the background knowledge needed to make sense of the information will limit the readership. VERDICT The ABC format of the book suggests this book is targeted at the youngest readers, but they will need someone with plenty of background knowledge in baseball and baseball lore for some of it to make sense.-Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elementary, FL

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March 15, 2020
A quirky baseball-based ABC provides the format for this offbeat homage to the game and its players. Shoeless Joe Jackson, Babe Ruth, and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson are the only representatives of baseball's long-ago past, with admiring nods to many 20th-century players, such as Jackie Robinson, Henry Aaron, Nolan Ryan, and Cal Ripken Jr., but the book has a very contemporary feel, also shining the spotlight on players active in the 21st century. "C is for Captain Clutch," Derek Jeter; "Z is for ZZZZZZZ," closer Mariano "Sandman" Rivera; "D is for Dugout," where the bench players (a dream team of sorts including Roger Clemens, Bo Jackson, and Mike Piazza) wait to play while cheering for their teammates. The author seems to have applied some personal algorithm to his choice of players, who were or are respected in their positions and include several Hall of Famers. In single- and double-page spreads, the players are either directly named in a brief, pithy alphabetic blurb or identified in bright white uppercase letters within the illustration. Shipley's deeply hued depictions carefully and creatively enhance the text. Many of the players are nearly faceless, shown in nonproportional, exaggerated, elongated form with legs that stretch forever. A few others are quite accurate character studies. The most intense baseball fans among young readers and their grown-ups will, inevitably, have the great pleasure of arguing and discussing the pros and cons of the inclusion or omission of their favorite players. Win, win all the way. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

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