Softball for Fun!

Children's Literature

This title presents the rules and strategies for playing softball in straightforward text, illustrated with photographs that clearly show the subject being discussed. The history of the game is introduced with the story of George Hancock, who in 1887 decided that "indoor baseball" would be a fun event. Eventually his idea became the game we know today as softball, both fast-pitch and slow pitch varieties. The author divides the information into logical sections and presents the development of the game through modern times. At this time softball is an Olympic sport, but as of 2012 it will not be included in the games. The book has a timeline of important milestones, instructions on basic skills, a glossary that includes softball terms, a strong index, and a bibliography, as well as web sites for those interested in softball—the most popular sport played in the entire United States. Readers will find ample information in an accessible format that shows the fun and facts about softball. 2006, Compass Point Books, Ages 7 to 10.
—Sheilah Egan

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-These guides present the rules of each game, zero in on various aspects of the sport, look at where it's played and who plays it, and give a lot of fun facts. Softball is the best and most readable title. Figure Skating is better than average, and Lacrosse is the most technical and least interesting. It varies from the other two by having the general text divided into men's and women's versions of the sport. It also has a labeling error on the field description page (the endlines are on the sidelines). The photos in all three books, although colorful action shots, do not always match the texts, lose some of the details in the gutters, and seldom identify noted people in the captions. Better choices on skating include Dan Gutman's Ice Skating (Viking, 1995), Peter Morrissey's The Young Ice Skater (DK, 1998), and Debbi Wilkes's The Figure Skating Book (Firefly, 2000). If you need books about lacrosse, try Lois Nicholson's The Composite Guide to Lacrosse (Chelsea House, 1998) or Don Wells's For the Love of Lacrosse (Weigl, 2005). Buy Softball if you need more on this topic for female readers.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.