HEY BATTA BATTA SWING!
The Wild Old Days of Baseball
by Sally Cook & James Charlton & illustrated by Ross MacDonald
When did baseball players start wearing numbers on their uniforms? How did the rules of the game change and evolve? What are the meanings of the terms “senior circuit” and “twin bill?” These and many more questions are asked and answered as the authors span the history of baseball with a liberal mixture of facts and anecdotes. There are sections concerning uniforms, team names, equipment, umpires and just about every aspect of the game. The whole package is presented in breezy, conversational language, and MacDonald’s trademark lively, amusing, action-filled art illustrates many of the most unusual facts. But there are several problems. Old-style baseball slang is liberally sprinkled throughout the text, but the reader must look to margins for the definitions. The sections seem to be in no particular order, and the information flies so thick and fast that young readers might end up totally overwhelmed. Not for the casual fan, it will take a die-hard baseball aficionado to appreciate this effort. (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-12)