 The
Unforgettable Season: Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and the
Record-Setting Summer of 1941
by Phil Bildner, S.D. Schindler
Ages 6–9
In 1941, neither Joe DiMaggio
of the New York Yankees nor Ted Williams of the Boston
Red Sox were big stars. This book is the story of the
season that changed all that, telling of DiMaggio’s
56-game hitting streak and Williams’s season batting
average of .406, amazing records that still stand today.
Bright illustrations featuring period details capture
the energy and excitement of this amazing baseball
season. |
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 A
Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
by Matt de la Peña, Kadir Nelson
Ages 6–8
Beautifully realistic oil paintings
illustrate this tribute to Joe Lewis. Focusing on Lewis’s
1938 rematch against German boxer Max Schmeling, this
accessible biography shows how the match unified, for
one evening, a racially divided country, as black and
white fans joined together to cheer the son of a black
sharecropper as he took on the white symbol of Hitler’s “master
race.” |
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 Play
Ball, Jackie!
by Stephen Krensky, Joe Morse
Ages 7–10
It’s 1947, and 10-year-old
Matty Romano is going to his first baseball game with
his father to see the Brooklyn Dodgers, his favorite
team. It’s also the first day for Jackie Robinson,
the first Black baseball player in the major leagues.
The crowd is divided between those who are outraged
and those who just want to see good baseball players,
no matter what their color. Matty’s conversations with
his father provide an intimate look at this historic
baseball game. |
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 Keeping
Score
by Linda Sue Park
Ages 9–12
Jim teaches Maggie the art of
scoring a baseball game, and she believes her extra involvement
in the game helps support her beloved Dodgers. When Jim
is drafted and sent to Korea, she searches for a way
to support him, too. |
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 Six
Innings
by James Preller
Ages 9–14
Perceptive portrait of a group
of boys who play Little League baseball. Each character
is unique and realistic. |
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 Fearless:
The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith
by Barb Rosenstock, Scott Dawson
Ages 5–up
From the moment Louise Smith
got behind the wheel of her father’s car at age seven,
she loved driving cars. Years later, when a race promoter
was looking for a woman to drive in a race as a joke,
Louise volunteered, and came in third. Paving the way
for women in racing, Louise eventually become a NASCAR
legend, leaving a pile of wrecks and 38 wins behind.
Upbeat illustrations capture the breezy spirit of this
self-assured woman living the life she loved. |
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 Black
Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson
by Charles R. Smith Jr., Shane W.
Evans
Ages 5–8
Jack Johnson was the first
black fighter to win a heavyweight championship.
The reigning champion, Jim Jeffries, retired in
order to avoid being beaten by Black Jack. When
Jack won against Jeffries’s successor, Jeffries
was goaded into returning to the ring for a match
against Black Jack, who defeated him. Told in verse,
Jack is presented first as simply a shy and fearful
young man inspired by books to fight back and make
a name for himself. This accessible biography celebrates
Jack’s dignity, determination, and pride, as well
as his success as a boxer. |
|
 Tillie
the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a
Bicycle Changed History
by Sue Stauffacher, Sarah McMenemy
Ages 5–8
When Tillie arrived in America
from Sweden all she had was a needle. So she got a
job at a tailor shop and waited for something exciting
to happen. Then she saw her first bicycle and knew
what she wanted to do, even though everyone told her
women couldn’t ride bicycles. With her trusty needle,
Tillie created an aerodynamic cycling costume and broke
all the 1890s records for speed and endurance. |
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 You
Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!
by Jonah Winter, Andre Carrilho
Ages 4–9
In this striking picture book,
an anonymous former teammate tells what made Sandy
Koufax, the 1960s pitcher for the Dodgers, so amazing.
We learn about his shyness, his physical limitations,
and the anti-Semitism he faced. But in the end it’s
Sandy Koufax in action, boldly portrayed by Andre Carrilho,
that captures the mysterious power of the great pitcher. |
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 All
Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever
by Jane Yolen, Jim Burke
Ages 6–8
Honus Wagner (1874-1955) was
a shortstop for more than 20 seasons, mainly with the
Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2007, his baseball card sold
for $3 million. This well-written biography, illustrated
with paintings that echo period photographs, presents
the story of an outstanding athlete who was also an
outstanding person: talented, hard-working, and a decent
human being. |
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