Nick Plays Baseball - Hardcover

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of eight. She trained at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and has danced professionally. Rachel lives in New York City with her family.

Rachel Isadora has illustrated many books set in the world of dance and theater, including Opening Night, My Ballet Class, Swan Lake, The Little Match Girl, and Ben's Trumpet, which received the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of eight. She trained at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and has danced professionally. Rachel lives in New York City with her family.

Rachel Isadora has illustrated many books set in the world of dance and theater, including Opening Night, My Ballet Class, Swan Lake, The Little Match Girl, and Ben's Trumpet, which received the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

HIsadora (Sophie Skates) heads for the baseball diamond in her latest exploration of sports. Neatly sandwiching nonfiction nuggets into a story about a boy named Nick, his teammates on the Rockets (girls as well as boys) and a championship game, Isadora serves up a lively and informative pastiche. While Nick and his friend Ben warm up for the big game, for instance, captioned spot art shows and identifies the various components of their uniforms; on the facing page, a host of other equipment, from batting helmet to catcher's gear, comes in for the same treatment. As she chronicles the championship game and its triumphant conclusion for the Rockets, Isadora scrutinizes everything from skills and drills to scoring, practice techniques, "Rules to Abide By" ("Never argue with the umpire"), the various positions and "Coach Brian's Tips" (when you slide, "try to keep your foot up to avoid injury"). For all the ground the author covers, her presentation is simple and carefully pared down, keenly attuned to a picture book audience. Watercolor illustrations are precise in their portrayal of the game and its players as they stretch, run, swing, throw and catch, capturing both Nick and his teammates' enthusiasm as well as their athleticism. Just the ticket for aspiring sluggers. Ages 5-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.