Baseball is America’s sport that is played in backyards, parks, and major league fields. From T-ball to MLB we have all seen the game and cheered for a hit or for the ball not to be hit. For baseball fans young and old we have created a book list that includes some great books that look at the history of baseball and others that tell great stories about the game. Reader, I mean, batter up! 😉
Books About Baseball
More Resources for Little Book Lovers
The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.
Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.
Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.
Baseball Stories Based on Historical Events
Players In Pigtails by Shana Corey
Players In Pigtails is the story of Katie Casey, a girl who loves baseball. She is not good at sewing, cooking or dancing but she can hit and catch. This is a fictional story that represents many different women who played in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. The story is great for boys and girls who love baseball.
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
Brothers at Bat is an amazing story of a family that had 12 boys that all played baseball. The book is non-fiction but is told as a story. For little and older ones that love baseball this is a great book on a small part of the history of baseball.
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick
She Loves Baseball is the true story of Effa Manley, the first and only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. She owned the Newark Eagles and worked hard to have African-American players recognized in the hall of fame. Her story is an amazing one full of determination and spunk.
The Bambino and Me by Zachary Hyman
In the Bambino and Me it is the summer of 1927 and George loves Babe Ruth and baseball. George would love to meet Babe Ruth but knows that is nearly impossible. When he receives tickets to the Yankees vs. Red Socks his chances might be improving. I like the larger than life illustrations and facts about Babe Ruth that are included throughout the story.
Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy by Phil Bildner
Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy is the story of Joe Jackson and the bat that he had made for him. The book includes facts throughout the story and detailed information in the Afterward about Shoeless Joe.
Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg
Dad, Jackie, and Me is a great story of a boy and his dad during the summer of 1947. The two bond while watching Jackie Robinson and the son is able to teach his dad all he knows about baseball. This is a great story that includes information about Jackie Robinson’s first year with the Dodgers.
Fictional Baseball Stories
Casey at the Bat by Ernest L. Thayer
Casey at the Bat is a classic ballad that tells the story of Mighty Casey in 1888. This version is told with newspaper clippings and an antique feel that readers young and old will enjoy.
Joy in Mudville by bob Rackzka
Joy in Mudville is the story of the day after Mighty Casey struck out. The game is on the line and the coach calls Joy up to pitch to Mighty Casey in the ninth. Joy’s unique pitches might save the game.
Dino-Baseball by Lisa Wheeler
Dino-Baseball is a fun book filled with dinosaurs playing baseball. Players are named after different types of dinosaurs. The mix of dinosaurs and baseball is a fun twist and great for sports and dino lovers alike.
Zachary’s Ball by Matt Tavares
Zachary’s Ball is the story of Zack and his first time going to a Boston Red Socks game. Zack’s father catches a fly ball and gives it to Zack and he quickly realizes that the ball can help him live his dreams on the baseball field. The illustrations are in black and white and create very unique pictures for the story.
Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen
Randy Riley never makes a hit, but when a fireball heads towards Earth Randy Riley steps up to the plate and hits a home run. This is a fun book that mixes space, robots and baseball. The illustrations are set in the 50’s and round out this out of the park book.
Oliver’s Game by Matt Tavares
Oliver’s Game is a great story about Oliver and the amazing story that his Grandpa Hall has to tell him about baseball. I love the black and white illustrations and the message that baseball is not just about the players on the field, it is about the fans, game, and everything else that makes it great.
Goodnight Baseball by Michael Dahl
Goodnight Baseball is a rhyming tale of a boy at a baseball game with his dad. Throughout the book readers are able to see all the parts of a game, food, fans, chants and plays. Little baseball fans will enjoy this book as an introduction or a bed time story.
The Bat Boy & His Violin by Gavin Curtis
In the Bat Boy & His Violin Reginald is a very talented violin player. His father, a coach for an all-black baseball team, wants him to get outside more and decides to make him bat boy. Reginald quickly learns that his talent is valuable for the team. The story is a glimpse into the Negro National League in the late 1940s.
Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Deborah Hopkinson
Girl Wonder, Alta Weiss, loves playing baseball. In the late 1800s girls did not play ball but she proves everyone wrong. Girl Wonder is a fictional story that reminds us of all the women that lead the way for women to play not only baseball but all sports.
Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies
Bats at the Ballgame is a fun book that tells a rhyming story of a bat at a baseball game. I love the twist on baseball game traditions like Cricket Jacks and Mothdogs. Little readers will enjoy seeing the game played by animals and the fun twist on the game. This book is also featured on our Books About Bats booklist.
Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon
Take Me Out to the Yakyu is a book that compares baseball in America to baseball in Japan. A young boy and his dad travel to a game and each page shows different aspects of the game in America and Japan. In our home we are big baseball fans, this was a fun book to read to see how baseball is different and similar in Japan.
H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet by Brad Herzog and Melanie Rose
H is for Homerun is a great alphabet book for any baseball fan. Each letter represents a special item from baseball and includes beautiful illustrations.
The Baseball Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
The Baseball Counting Book is a great book for little baseball fans to use as they practice counting. Readers will count to 20 with players on a team, innings and all other things that are baseball.
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