Summary

Who is the player on the most famous baseball card ever? And why is it worth so much? Honus Wagner was the player, a shortstop who played (mostly) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  He was he son of German immigrants, born in 1874. He was ugly, bow-legged, and had ridiculously long arms. But boy could he play baseball! This book is his story.

Review

I loved this book. My children loved this book. It’s the story of hard work and achieving your goals. It’s the story of familial love. It’s the story of neighborhood baseball played in the streetlights and under the streetlamps.

As you would expect with Yolen, the writing is tight but expressive. And if it weren’t fore her awkward use of “How about that!” after a few too many of the Wagner anecdotes, I’d have no complaints.

The illustrations in the book are fantastic as well. Jim Burke includes a note in the back of the book about his work in this book. He’s a baseball fan. The pictures in this book prove it.

What You Need to Know

• Role Models/Authority Figures – Honus Wagner, his parents, his brother.
• Violence – Ty Cobb is mouthy to Honus, so Honus tags him in the face hard enough to loosen a few of his teeth (the event is described, and then the reader is told both players denied it ever happened).
• Sexual Content – None.
• Language – None.
• Consumerism – None.
• Drinking/Smoking/Drugs – “He did it wall without drugs…”, Honus had his baseball card removed from cigarette packs.
• Religion – Honus attended Lutheran school to the sixth grade.
• Other – None.
• Awards