Illustrated by Jim BurkePhilomel, 2010
32 pages, $17.99
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Facsimiles of baseball cards on light green background
This book really has nothing to do with a baseball card (although his card is worth a fortune, and mentioned near the end), it is a terrific biography of one of America's most famous baseball players, Honus Wagner. Born in 1874 near Pittsburgh, he went to school until he was 12, then worked in the mines with his father. The family played ball after church on Sundays and it eventually became his career. He joined the major league Pittsburgh Pirates in 1900 and the rest is history. Some of his records are still unbroken!
"At sixteen, Honus joined the Mansfield semipro team.
He was 5' 11" and nearly 200 pounds,
and already known for his bowed legs,
long arms, and great barrel chest.
He called his huge hands 'scoops.'
They seemed to large for his baseball glove."
Descriptive verse tells his story, and the reader is left with a real feel for the guy.
Jim Burke's illustrations compliment the text perfectly - they are paintings where you can see how he uses a stroke or dab of paint for shirt creases and shadow. His artist's note at the end tells of his love of baseball, his research of the book, and his observations about Honus Wagner.
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