This post joins other
Nonfiction Monday blogs
hosted today by Sally's Bookshelf
A True Tale with A Cherry On Top
C haracter: Willie Mays
O verview from the publisher's website:
"He hit 660 home runs (fourth best of all time), had a lifetime batting average of .302, and is second only to Babe Ruth on The Sporting News's list of 'Baseball's 100 Greatest Players.' Many believe him to be the best baseball player that ever lived. His name is Willie Mays. In Jonah Winter and Terry Widener's fascinating picture book biography, young readers can follow Mays's unparalleled career from growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, to playing awe-inspiring ball in the Negro Leagues and then the Majors, where he was center fielder for the New York (later San Francisco) Giants. Complete with sidebars filled with stats, and a cool lenticular cover, here is a book for all baseball lovers, young and old."
T antalizing taste:
"You could fill a whole book with all the jaw-droppin' plays Willie made, all the homers he hit, all the bases he stole. But what made 'the Catch' in '54 so special was that millions of people all over America had seen it on TV ...
Just look at him: Even as he falls to his knees after makin' that play, his eyes still takin' in the path of the ball - even then, you could see he was mentally still in the game, wantin' to win, never givin' up, ready for more.
Yessir, in that one moment when Willie made the Catch, he showed the world a new way of playing the game. He changed how people saw his skin. In his own way, he changed the world."
and something more: Today's feature of yet another baseball player biography picture book was inspired by fellow kidlit blogger, Jeff Barger at NC Teacher Stuff. Jeff asked if I knew of any picture book about Willie Mays. Voila! Jeff had recently visited my favorite and local baseball stadium, AT&T Park in San Francisco, and I had mentioned the sculpture of Willie Mays in front of the ballpark.
I learned that WIllie Mays joined the SF Giants in 1958. Just this past May, Willie Mays celebrated his 82nd birthday and the San Francisco Chronicle posted photos from his career. A living legend and amazing role model!
4 comments:
Thanks for the mention! I was hoping that you could write this book, but I'm glad to see it published nonetheless.
Greatest. Play. Ever. That is the '54 catch. My only complaint is that "Say Hey" is not part of the title. Thanks for featuring this book. Now, who else is in baseball's history that we can write about?
You're welcome, Jeff! Yes, I would have enjoyed researching and writing this book (and especially emphasizing the SF connections). But "Say Hey" -- it's a great book so I can't complain.
I love baseball and nonfiction books about baseball! Thank you for sharing a new one for me to read!
Happy reading this week :)
Kellee
Thanks for stopping by Kellee! And happy reading to you, too!
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