Children's Book Review: Sports Illustrated Kids Baseball Books

BASEBALL: Then to WOW!

By: Editors of Sports Illustrated for Kids

Published: April 5, 2016

Publisher: Sports Illustrated

NonFiction

With the official baseball season starting this week, this offers the perfect opportunity to share some great baseball books perfect for baseball fans of any age.  Our family has been rooting for the Chicago Cubs, but love watching all levels of baseball from our own kids playing, our high school team, our local AAA league and to the pros. My husband grew up in Norway, Iowa (think the movie THE FINAL SEASON) and baseball has been part of his life since he can remember.

This book covers all aspects of baseball and its evolution from the 1800's to the present. Whether you played baseball in your back yard or on a meticulously cared for diamond, this book is for you. The pages are full-color and offer awesome statistics and little-known facts about baseball.

I loved the evolution of the uniforms, the gloves, and the catcher masks.  Did you know the Chicago White Sox experimented with wearing shorts in the 70's? That obviously didn't work out. But the uniform pages are hilarious to look at and see the evolution of style as well as the different hairstyles of the players.

Even the umpires of baseball have a section, noting their changes in protection behind the plate to how many were used in a game. These images show examples of the captivating photos on each and every page.

My sons would have loved this book when they were younger. They were all about stats and knowing particular statistics of all the top athletes. Even now, they found the milestone section very interesting. This section lists all the players with 300 Wins, 3,000 Strikeouts, 500 Home Runs, and 3,000 Hits. When I set out the books, my oldest son grabbed this one right away and started looking through it.

All the information is presented in an easy to understand and concise format and isn't overwhelming. The pictures are fun to look at whether you are a child or an adult.

Our sons and even my husband have been collectors of baseball cards and I found that section interesting as well. I learned that Topps is the only brand that has the contract to actually print the league logos on the cards. All the other brands can only use player images on their cards. So, if that is important to you, be sure you buy Topps baseball cards.

If you are a family that loves baseball, this book of interesting facts and history is perfect. It's a nice hardcover for use as a display/coffee table book or to add to your library. Covering a section at night at the supper table would offer lots of great discussion for a baseball loving family.

To purchase a copy of BASEBALL: Then to WOW!, click the photo below:

MY FIRST BOOK OF BASEBALL: A Rookie Book

Mostly Everything Explained About the Game

By: The Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids - Beth Bugler and Mark Bechtel

Illustrated by: Bill Hinds

Published: April 5, 2016

NonFiction

For the youngest generation of baseball fans, this book offers a way to introduce your child to the sport and all the fun that goes along with it. 

This book takes your child through the basics of baseball with interactive text and fun, accurate images. I love that the players are smiling in many of the pictures showing kids that baseball is fun!

I love how bright and colorful each of the pages are and basically walk you through all nine innings of the game. It even includes the important 7th inning stretch! 

If your child is just starting out playing on his neighborhood t-ball team or wanting to understand the game while you watch it on TV, this is the book for you. The explanations are very well-written and simple, yet make the game exciting. The hardcover of the book and thicker pages will hold up to many readings by the youngest baseball fans.

If you would like to purchase MY FIRST BOOK OF BASEBALL, click the photo below:

I will be linking up with Booking Mama for her Saturday Kid Konnection feature. Click HERE to see other posts related to children and YA books. 

A post from today, 6 years ago - Plate and Heart are Full

A post from today, 4 years ago - Do You Feel HIM in Your Soul?

A post from today, 3 years ago - A Little Monday Inspiration 

A post from today, 2 years ago - Book Review: Silent Impact By Joe Schmit

A post from today, 1 year ago - Book Review and Author Interview: Triumph Over Destiny By Peladija Woodson-Diers

Thanks to the publisher for sending copies of these books for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase these books through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. sin

Book Review: The Joy of Ballpark Food by Bennett Jacobstein

THE JOY OF BALLPARK FOOD
From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine

By: Bennett Jacobstein

Food Photography: Deborah L Jacobstein

Published: January 9, 2015

Publisher: Ballpark Food Publications

Non-Fiction

Baseball is synonymous with summer. People all over our country spend days, nights and weekends at ballparks cheering on their favorite minor or major league teams. Part of that enjoyment includes the food you eat at the game. Ballparks aren't just serving hot dogs, peanuts, and cracker jacks anymore. There are foods to cater to every palate as well as dietary needs. Bennett Jacobstein and his wife, Dorothy spent a good share of 2014 visiting all thirty of the major league ballparks in the United States. Their purpose was to investigate the various food offerings and find out what is unique about each one. Their book also shares iconic historical information related to the classic song, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", the creation of Cracker Jacks, hot dogs, nachos, and how peanuts became a top-selling item at ball games. Each ballpark is featured including their signature hot dog and some of the more "unusual" and popular food choices.  Dishes such as Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon at Safeco Field in Seattle, Wild Rice Soup at Target Field in Minneapolis, Rocky Mountain Oysters at Coors Field in Denver, and a Lobster Roll at Fenway Park in Boston are just a few of the stranger options to enjoy during a ball game.

Image taken of a page in THE JOY OF BALLPARK FOOD showing a photo of the menu from Wrigley Field in 1947. 

The enjoyment of food during a ball game has become big business and the Jacobsteins' share some interesting tidbits of baseball history, how some foods were created, and unique hot dogs to fit every personality and geographic location. Wonderful photos are included throughout the pages to whet your appetite. After reading through these pages, you will want to order tickets to get to your favorite ballpark as soon as you can!

Our family has only been to four of the ballparks, and were familiar with several of the dishes mentioned at Wrigley and PNC Park. This book can certainly be used as a travelogue to visiting and tasting some of the chef-inspired dishes that have become so popular at games. Even though this book is offered in paperback form, it would make a great coffee-table book or conversation starter for summer gatherings or an excellent gift for that baseball fan in your life. Even non-fans will enjoy the food facts throughout the pages. The best part is that all royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. That makes this book a "Home Run"!

Bennett Jacobstein

Bennett Jacobstein lives in San Jose, CA. He is a retired librarian and publisher of demographic materials. He currently works during the baseball season in the concessions stand at Municipal Stadium, home of Minor League Baseball’s Class A Advanced San Jose Giants. Every minor leaguer dreams of making it to the big leagues. Bennett had his dream fulfilled when he worked as a concessions stand substitute at three Oakland Athletics games during the 2013 season.

He enjoys both baseball and food but considers himself a much better eater than ball player. He had a two-year Little League career in which he went two seasons without getting a hit. His only RBI was when he got hit by the pitch with the bases loaded. When not batting or sitting on the bench, he would be found in right field praying that the ball didn’t get hit to him.

The three greatest days of his life were the day he married his wife Debbie, the day his daughter Aviva was born, and the day he first successfully replaced the nachos cheese bag in the dispenser at the San Jose Giants’ concessions stand.

To learn more, go to http://www.ballparkfood.org/. You can also find out more on Facebook, HERE, and Twitter, HERE. 


If you would like to purchase a copy of THE JOY OF BALLPARK FOOD, click the photo below:

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews.

Review: Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman

Like every other kid in his class, Joe Stoshack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time. So for his report, Joe decides to go back to meet one of the greatest baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, to find out what it was like to be the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Joe plans on writing a prize-winning report. But he doesn't plan on a trip that will for a short time change the color of his skin - and forever change his view of history and his definition of courage.

Joe was a baseball player who was teased by another kid because he was Polish. He got mad and ended up fighting with the boy and getting kicked off the baseball team. When he had to do the book report he chose a baseball player because he loved the sport. He used his baseball card to travel back in time to Jackie Robinson, but went back as an African American boy who lived in Jackie's house. He then witnessed how Jackie handled bullys and teasing on the field. He witnessed many incidences of prejudice towards Jackie. Jackie taught him to turn the other cheek and how to shut them out while he was playing the game. Joe was taught a valuable lesson from Jackie and ended up back in the present time being let back on the baseball team. He played in the championship game and was able to meet face to face with his bully and handle it the way Jackie showed him to. This book had a great message for kids about teasing and bullying and how to handle those situations. The story was also full of great American history regarding baseball. The boys gave this an "I liked it a lot" ranking.