Children’s Book Review: Baseballogy
In Baseballogy, author and illustrator (and former sportscaster) Kevin Sylvester takes the reader on an all-inclusive tour of the world of baseball, with fun facts, figures and juicy tidbits from baseball’s colourful history. He tells it all, from the measurements of various baseball diamonds and the composition of a baseball (surprising!) to the breakdown of hitting and pitching statistics and the many ways the game has changed in the last hundred years. With playful illustrations and imaginative graphics, this book is a perfect resource for young baseball fans that want to know more about this popular sport.
Sylvester is exhaustive in his approach, covering both the mechanics and the human variables in the game. We get an illuminating, step-by-step deconstruction of just how the pitcher tries to outwit the batter, as well as a timeline showing when different nationalities started playing baseball. We learn the science of how batting speed contributes to a hit, and see a cartoon showing how the size of players has increased since Babe Ruth at 6’2” towered over his teammates.
With a wry sense of humour and a knack for making the complicated simple, Sylvester keeps the reader engaged. He has a instinct for facts children consider irresistible: fish eyeballs in the middle of baseballs to give them bounce, the kinds of bodily fluids used to make a spitball swerve, and freaky freak injuries (like the time a player bit himself on his butt when he slid into second with his false teeth in his back pocket). This super-fun book is packed full of information presented in a light-hearted format that is sure to engage young readers.
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