Parents can hit a home run with ‘A Baseball Story’

Warm weather is calling you, but that’s not all. Now’s the time for ice cream trucks, swimming lessons, and riding your bike around. Best of all, now’s the season for baseball — which is something you’ve been looking forward to for months! And you’re not alone, as you’ll see in “A Baseball Story” by Richard Torrey.

Other kids in the neighborhood listen for the jingly sound of the ice cream truck, but who has time for that? It’s baseball season, and you’ve got to get ready to play.

Before the game starts, you’ll need to suit up because all the players wear identical hats and jerseys, which tells everybody that you’re a team. You’ll also put on “bumpy shoes called cleats,” so you can run like the wind. Once you’re dressed, take a look at yourself in a mirror. You look like a real baseball player!

But no real baseball player is without his glove, so don’t forget that. Mmmmm, baseball gloves smell soooo good…

All good baseball teams have a coach. Before the game, your coach might remind you that baseball players always have to be ready, so you practice throwing and catching with your teammates. You’ll have to be ready on the field, too, in case you’ll need to catch a ball and get an out.

When it’s your turn to bat, you’ll wear a special helmet so you don’t get hurt. Everybody will be watching while you’re batting — even Mom and Dad, but if they wave at you, don’t wave back. Baseball players don’t wave; they need to be ready to RUN as soon as they get a hit. Getting a hit is almost like having a birthday.

And when the game is over, you’ll shake hands with the other team. Win or lose, you’ll tell them, “Good game!” because sportsmanship is important and so is having fun. Yep, baseball players have to be ready for that … and a whole lot more.

So you’ve got a future Hall of Famer in the house? Your little one truly lives for the words “Play ball!” Then you’ve absolutely got to have “A Baseball Story” sitting at home base.

This time of year, of course, there could be a hundred books about our favorite summer pastime on the shelves, but Torrey adds something really unusual to his baseball book. One part of the story here consists of a good narrative that practically begs to be read aloud. The other part of the story is made up of conversation bubbles, so kids can follow along with the things that are said to and by its young hero. It’s almost two tales in one, and I thought that was enormously fun.

Older Little Leaguers may get a quick kick out of this book, but I really think it’s meant for their younger brothers and sisters. So if your 4- to 7-year-old loves to go batty this time of year, “A Baseball Story” will be outta the park.

View publishes Terri Schlichenmeyer’s childen’s book reviews weekly.