Review of Two New Release Children's Baseball Books

This is a review of two new release children's baseball books: I Spy with My Little Eye Baseball and Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King. They are published by Sleeping Bear Press. I was provided copies of these children's baseball books by the publisher, but was under no obligation to recommend them. My observations are my own.

Synopsis and Review of I Spy with My Little Eye Baseball

Each two page spread has baseball-themed photos (or a collage of photos) that initially appear to be similar, but upon closer inspection, there are many differences between the two. There's a rhyming riddle which challenges kids to find the differences, which can be as low as 15 and as high as 40-plus. Each spread also includes an informative paragraph that is related to the photos, covering the history and trivia of America's Pastime, including scoreboards, gloves, umpires, baseball cards, etc.

I recommend this children's baseball book because this 32 page reading product will keep the kids occupied trying to find the differences between the photos while learning more about the sport's history. This children's baseball book is authored by Brad Herzog and photographed by David Milne and has a Suggested Retail Price of $13.95 with an ISBN Number of 1-58536-496-7.

Synopsis and Review of Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King

This is the story of the ballplayer who is purported to be America 's first paid (i.e. professional) player. The Brooklynite grew up in the mid-1850's and was obsessed with playing the game then known as just "Base." With the encouragement of his father and brother, Lipman Pike was able to get on a junior league team earlier than usual. As he grew older, he began playing in more organized games where getting paid openly wasn't condoned. This children's baseball book discusses how his Jewish heritage caused Pike to be deterred from his dream, but ultimately nothing would stop this man from becoming an early baseball legend with his speed and home run power.

Kids will learn some early history of America's Pastime through the engaging writing of Richard Michelson and via the nostalgic illustrations of Zachary Pullen; and thus, I do recommend this 32 page title. The Suggested Retail Price for Lipman Pike is $16.95 and its ISBN Number is 1-58536-465-7.

Both children's baseball books are available at retail outlets like Amazon.com. For more information on the publisher, Sleeping Bear Press, contact 315 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. Phone 800-487-2323. Email: sleepingbearpress@cengage.com Website here