When you think of summer, you think of baseball. But, do you think about girls linked with this professional sport? "Players In Pigtails", by Shana > Corey, is an up-lifting picture book about a time in our history when women dominated baseball. Ms. Corey decided to research the facts > surrounding the movie "A League of Their Own" because she was so impressed > with the storyline. As she delved into the information that surfaced about > these women, she found herself somewhat surprised at what she discovered. > Phillip Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs during World War II, found > that the American public needed the game to continue even though almost > the entire male baseball industry had become involved in the war. His > suggestion of using women was at first ridiculed. People said that sports, > on this level, weren't lady-like and that no one would support this game > played by the opposite sex. But, he persevered and formed 4 teams from the > Midwest with the most talented baseball women he could find. > At first, the fans booed and taunted the women as they came out in their > short uniformed dresses. But, once the game began, the insults turned into > cheers of support. The crowds were presented with close, hard hitting > games that constantly drew them to their feet. America's great pastime > sport was able to continue during a most difficult time in our history and > many games benefited the Women's Army Corp and the American Red Cross. > Now, I read all about the history of this incredible league in the > author's notes located in the back of the book. But a child will get the > main idea of what took place by reading the simple text throughout the > book. Ms. Corey based her main character, Katie Casey, on the famous song, > "Talk Me Out To The Ball Game". She discovered that this popular song was > actually written about a girl, Katie Casey. The song is about how Katie > was crazy about baseball and loved to go to the games. So, when you sing > the song, think about Katie going to her beloved game and what she'll buy > and how she'll cheer once she gets there. > Rebecca Gibbon illustrated the pictures and children young and old will > enjoy her colorful renderings of the lifestyles during the 1940's. This is > a great historical fiction that every elementary age child will enjoy. The > invention of this league very well could have been the beginning of an > awareness of the amazing abilities of women athletes!
> ______________________ > Now, while I'm on the topic of sports, Matt Christopher is a prolific > author who writes about this subject in different kinds of genres. Some of > his stories are based on famous athletes and others are about interesting > characters and their respective sport. The latter stories revolve around > interactions between competitors and how the main character overcomes > obstacles to become a great athlete. These stories are interesting and > uplifting as the reader learns how the athlete pursues his or her dream by > working hard and training consistently. > He has a fairly long list about some of the greatest current day athletes > that children would immediately know. The stories are very motivational > because they demonstrate how hard these men and women had to work at their > sport to become what they are today. If there is anything lacking in > children today, it's probably the awareness of the work ethic, diligence > and constant effort to become better at something than the people around > them. Mr. Christopher has found the formula of writing a series of books > that kids find interesting, fairly easy and inspiring. Some of his bio > book topics include: Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams, Steve Young > and Wayne Gretzky. Some of his sports series include stories about > baseball, dirt bike racing, high jumping, diving and soccer. All of his > books are short, (about 130 pages) and a fairly easy read for 8 to 12 year > olds. So, if your child likes sports, or is looking for a sport, these > books would be a homerun!