ABCS OF BASEBALL

Words and phrases associated with the national pastime are explained for young fans.

What does a pinch hitter do? What does it mean when a player’s number is retired? What should you do during Seventh-Inning Stretch? All these and many other terms are explained clearly and concisely in Golenbeck’s beginning dictionary of baseball. The focus is on a young fan’s first experiences as a spectator at a professional game, including what will be seen, heard and tasted. So there is information about the green grass, whether natural or artificial, the hot dogs, peanuts and Crackerjacks and the calls of the umpires. The entries, varying in number depending on the letter, are set on a background of faint pinstripes. Each upper-case letter, resembling the stitching on uniforms, appears above the entries in dark royal blue on a field of white and is encircled in red. Andreasen variably depicts the action, the accoutrements and the fans’ activities and reactions in large-scale drawings employing soft earth tones contrasted with a few touches of brighter hues. A section of “fun facts” follows the dictionary and presents a great deal of further information with the same clarity and accessibility.

Golenbeck definitely conveys more than the facts. An entry for J says it all: “Joy: What you feel watching the game.” (Informational picture book. 5-9)