Spike's Picks: Great Books for Kids

A naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.

Although Alex is nervous about his role in the approaching baseball playoffs and championship game, he soon figures out how to fix his mistakes and become a better player.

A little boy's grandfathers, one in America and one in Japan, teach him about baseball and its rich, varying cultural traditions.

Effa always loved baseball. As a young woman, she would go to Yankee Stadium just to see Babe Ruth's mighty swing. But she never dreamed she would someday own a baseball team. Or be the first--and only--woman ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, he coached it. But he didn't love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy-five years, baseball teams have used Lena's magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game. Read the story of how Lena's...

Living in a "perfect" world without social ills, a boy approaches the time when he will receive a life assignment from the Elders, but his selection leads him to a mysterious man known as the Giver, who reveals the dark secrets behind the utopian facade.

Oscar Indigo has never been good at baseball, so naturally he's nervous when he has to fill in for his team's injured All-Star, Lourdes. Luckily, Oscar has a mysterious gold watch that can stop time, which he uses to fake a game-winning home run. Now Oscar's the underdog hero of his town and even Lourdes wants to be his friend. But the universe is a precarious place, and you can't just steal time without any consequences. If Oscar doesn't find a...

In Kalamazoo, Michigan, eight-year-old Derek Jeter, who dreams of playing for the New York Yankees, learns what it takes to be a champion on and off the field.

"In last year's state championship game, Ryan Rogan beaned Kyle Walker with a red-hot fastball. The pitch injured Kyle, forcing him to leave the game. His team lost, and it took several months for Kyle's injury to heal. He is certain that Ryan threw at him intentionally, but Kyle has put all that out of his mind, because he's excited for a fresh start this year--that is, until Ryan joins his team"--Unedited summary from book.

"It might be America's favorite pastime, but baseball isn't just an American sport! From Cuba to Japan, Australia to Italy, a diverse melting pot of countries and cultures have embraced the ole ballgame. In Baseball Around the World, you'll take a multicultural world tour to meet the nations and players who have pushed baseball to international popularity--with a twist, of course. Find out what they eat at Japanese baseball stadiums, how a gold rush...