Little League Books

This is simply a wonderful book. These black and white photographs, mostly non action shots, taken over 3 or 4 years at the same little league park in working class east Baltimore have an emotional power and honesty that is both rare and quite moving. The book works on so many levels: children, baseball, families, cities, and art.

This is obviously a labor of love for Connolly. The beautiful black and white photographs, a mixture of portraiture and reportage, capture the essence of kids playing baseball. This is reinforced by Cal Ripken's moving foreword, in which he writes that "for this brief phase in my life, the playing field was level and everyone was equal." It reminds me of Butterworth's revelation in "The Bad News Bears" that these are just kids who love to play; they have yet to place winning above fun.

Margot Theis Raven shares with us a forgotten 1955 event - when adults allowed racism to prevent the African American Cannon Street All-Stars from playing other Little League teams in South Carolina for the Little League World Series.

I'm not a baseball fan. Yet, my eyes welled when reading this book about a team of 14 black boys who wanted nothing more than to play baseball.

Margot Raven captures the 1950s in words. She reminds us of the pride and support the black community had for the Cannon Street All-Stars. Chris Ellison's illustrations transports us to 2nd base, to joyful pillow fights, and to a stadium chanting, "Let Them Play."

Excellent gift for children and baseball fans of all ages!

As a white man born only one year before this travesty of "sportsmanship" took place I cannot begin to tell people how important it is that this story be told not just to my generation who grew up in the begiinings of the civil rights, no the HUMAN rights, movements, but even more important, to the children of today. What could easily become an "oh poor us" story is not. It is a story of a wonderful bunch of kids who just wanted to play. "Let Them Play" is something you won't soon forget. Read it, give one to a kid and put one in a school library!

By: Keith Davis
Imagine that you are a 12 year old black boy; now imagine that you are trying to play baseball in the harmful times of racial battles where blacks were mistreated and sometimes tortured for justice in an all white league in Texas. Sounds hard? Well that is the reality that Joel Carroll goes through in the book amazing Little League Heroes by Curtis Bishop. So do you want to know more? Then keep reading!
This is a story of a young African American boy named Joel Carroll. He is an talented baseball player, but is not accepted because of his color. This book takes place back when segregation was legal so Joel was not likely to play baseball, because all the teams were white. Also imagine that you lived in what can only be described as one of the first models of a ghetto. Joel lived in a hut like house on the outskirts of town with a tin roof, and old beat up houses. His father is one of the only people in the all white town who didn't hate him; usually he talked to his dad constantly, besides talking to his dad tutors him and councils him about problems that you would probably have if you were a black kid back then in the time of the entire racial stir.
A white person named Rox Dugan who thinks he is so excellent at baseball doesn't prefer to like Joel at all. Rox was the all-star player in the West Austin league. But also at the same time a white person by the name of Bob Porter liked Joel a great deal as a friend. Bob and Joel are the only two twelve year old baseball players to be picked to play baseball, Joel was over surprised that he even got picked to be picked to play. Rox tried to beat up Joel but doesn't succeed, you see Joel knew that if he tried to fight back when Rox was beating him up that Rox's friend would jump in and start beating him Joel up more.
At the same time some people in the town weren't too happy because Joel was black and was able to play baseball. When the manager of the entire league found out that a black boy was playing he asked the coach with a look of question in his eyes, "You mean that you want him on your team?"
Later on when one parent found out that a black person was playing on his son's team he exclaimed, "I don't care what the league rules provide my son is not wearing the same uniform as a Negro boy."
Joel ends up getting to play baseball and faces a lot of challenges with the white people. He overcomes his challenges and shows his team what he is made of. The rest of the book is for you to find out, so if you are a serious sports fan then you will love this book. It is a perfect book for anyone; also because it is a sports book it has a certain level of intensity in it. It has ups and downs all threw the book. So if you are looking for a high quality book that the whole class will enjoy then head on over to your local library and check it out it's the best thing you will ever do if you are a reading freak!!!!

This is a wonderful book by Curtis Bishop. I first read it when I was around 10, and loved it. Recently, I read it again for the first time in years, and finished it in one evening. It's an absolute must read for any young baseball fan looking for a good sports book.

Little League Heroes isn't just about baseball, it's actually about the struggles a young African-American boy, Joel Carroll, faces when trying out for an all-white little league team in Texas. The book does have a good message, but isn't preachy or self-righteous at all. Bishop knows his baseball, and at times you find yourself hanging on every at-bat during the ball games. A great, fun book.

Glen Waggoner's Rotisserie League Baseball should be the starting point for any serious fantasy baseball player's scouting report. For starters -- but I'm also talking relievers -- these guys invented the game!!! Filled with crisp writing that is not only chock full of essential insider's info but is also entertaining and funny, Waggoner and his group of supporting writers -- which include various Rotisserie experts like John Benson and Mark Batterman -- deliver what every Rotisserie player needs: the rules of the game, all of the stats you'll need at your fingertips on draft day, expert analysis and the wining strategies from the only book that can claim 18 years of roti-experience

I can find whatever I need in this book, from veterans to rookies to minor leaguers

Sadie Rose Weilerstein, born in 1894, was a leading author of Jewish children's stories for more than 50 years. She introduced the tiny character named K'tonton in the September 1930 issue of Outlook magazine.

The Adventures of K'tonton: The Little Jewish Tom Thumb was first published in 1935; it includes 16 stories and was reprinted at least 10 times. Each tale includes important Jewish ideas or traditions, and a dash of Jewish humor--and its own complex plot. A few tales from this volume--Ktonton's Sukkot Adventure and Ktonton's Yom Kippur Kitten--were reprinted later as individual books with new color illustrations.

Isaac Samuel ben Baruch Reuben--whose first name meant laughter--was called K'tonton, which in case you wondered, is Hebrew for very very little. He was a late-born miracle for whom his mother had prayed so hard one Sukkot that she promised to love even a child "no bigger than a thumb." Sure enough, before a year had passed, she gave birth to a son. And sure enough, he was no bigger than her thumb. She blanketed him in the flax she had used to wrap an etrog--the Israeli citrus fruit used to celebrate Sukkot--and cradled him in a hand-carved etrog box.

It was also on the harvest festival of Sukkot that K'tonton made his first trip to the synagogue. As his father put his etrog carefully into its box to take to shul, K'tonton eagerly asked to join him. "Next year," answered his father, "when you're a little bigger." Like all over-eager boys, K'tonton did something he shouldn't, and climbed inside the etrog box to hide.

Once in shul, he couldn't see, so he climbed onto the lulav--the palm branch that is pointed east, west, south and north, to the heavens and to earth as part of the celebration. As K'tonton's father rose with the congregation to chant Hodu l'Adonai ki tov--Praise the Lord for God is good--there was K'tonton singing from atop the lulav, in a high treble that rose above all the other voices.

I can't tell all the myriad details, but here's a taste of K'tonton's adventures: He planned a palace for the Sabbath Queen, saved the birds on Shabbat Shirah, planted trees in Israel and sent them a Shanah Tovah (a Happy New Year). In one hilarious tale, a spinning Chanukah dreidel carried K'tonton off the table, down the stairs, out the door, into the street and into a gutter, where he found a small bit of Chanukah money known in Yiddish as gelt.

K'tonton also turned up in a Purim cookie, a Hamentash, covered with poppy seeds. On the day before Passover, he helped (with a mouse) find and discard the last crumbs in the house to help celebrate the redemption of the Hebrew slaves. He had a picnic on Lag Ba'Omer, rode an arrow and a bird. The book also features stories for Shevuot, Rosh Hashonah, Yom Kippur (when K'tonton tried to feed a hungry cat), Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah and a finale for Sukkot.

Each one of these 16 special stories of a tiny boy will light children's eyes.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Kelly Laduke is an extremely talented photographer/photojournalists who magnificently captures the thrills, disappointments and celebrations of a group of Little Leaguers and sets them to quotes from baseball legends and notables. "All Stars" is the perfect gift for every Little Leaguer and their coaches. It's a keepsake of memories that they will cherish forever.

Joan Hecht
Author/ "The Journey of the Lost Boys"

Delightful, delicious and easy to prepare recipes for today's busy lifestyle. Apron Stings has over 300 recipes ranging from old southern favorites to the newest trends. It is beautifully illustrated with full-color photography and includes charming anecdotes which evoke the spirit of Southern cooking. A must have for your cooking library!

I got this book a couple of months ago and must say, I am impressed. There are a lot of "Mental Aspects of Baseball" books, but none are as clear and insightful about ways for players to instantly push their game to a new level. Little cues to look for, what to do when you're picked off, how to size up the defense, and much more, covering all aspects of the game.
Baseball is very difficult and requires a lot of practice to master the mechanics of pitching, hitting, and fielding, so much of the literature in the sport focuses on these things. And because even with a lot of practice, the failure rates are so high, much is written about maintaining proper perspectives and postitive attitudes.
This book is a slap at over-coaching and the loss of sandlot play in recent years. It says kids have been playing organized baseball from such young ages that they don't think for themselves anymore. If a coach puts up the 'stop sign' they stop, even when they know they can make it to the next base. They don't bunt or steal without getting the sign to do that first, even when they know it will work. They are afraid of the coaches wrath, and they are not taking advantage of opportunities presented to pressure the defense, to steal on a lazy catcher or a predictable pitcher. They play safe, to avoid making mistakes and their coaches' anger, rather than playing aggressively and using every angle they can to win a game. How do you learn to get a maximum lead if you are not willing to go too far and get picked off once in a while? Coaches need to let the kids play sometimes, not just to win today, but to learn today what they can use tomorrow.

Want your player to be the best he can and make a quantuum leap in his baseball IQ in a short time? Get this book and let the kid have fun abusing all the perfect little robots out there. I have seen this work now, and it is amazing what an average kid with a good baseball head and an aggressive attitude can do even at Varsity High School levels.

At less than 100 pages and easy reading, I read this in an hour. It is a good overview of umpiring for Little League. It does not go into details on all the rules, but gives an overview of what an umpire does there. The pictures were helpful in seeing what hand signals to use and for where the umpire should and should not stand for different situations.

Throughout the book are 26 different brief situations that you have to decide upon. The answers are short, clear and helpful. Overall, I think it is an excellent introduction to the topic (I plan to use some of the ideas at the next game that I umpire).

I wish the world my son needs to learn about didn't include things as ugly as racial discrimination--but since it does, this book will be a great way to illustrate it in a context that he'll be able to understand (Little League baseball). I'm glad I happened across this important book.