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ABOUTDo you have a baseball fan in your house? If your kids play baseball or just love the game, you’ll be thrilled to know about these great baseball books — picture books, chapter books, middle grade books, and nonfiction books.
Baseball Books
Picture Books
1. ABCs of Baseball by Peter Golenbock, pictures by Dan Andreasen
2. Flat Stanley at Bat (I Can Read 2) by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Mackey Pamintuan
3. Lucky Luis by Gary Soto, illustrated by Rhode Montijo
4. Brother’s At Bat: The True Story of an All Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno
5. Poem Runs: Baseball Poems by Douglas Florian
6. Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen
7. My First Book of Baseball Mostly Everything Explained About the Game A Rookie Book Sports Illustrated Kids
8. The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Player Changed the Game by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Jez Tuya
9. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter & Andre Carrillo
10. The Kid From Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno
Baseball Books: Chapter Books for Ages 6 to 9
1. Plunked by Michael Northrop
2. A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
3. Fantasy Baseball by Alan Gratz
4. Pinch Hit by Tim Green
5. The Super Sluggers Wing Ding by Kevin Markey
6. Hothead by Carl Ripkin, Jr.
7. Roberto and Me by Dan Gutman A Baseball Card Adventure
8. Fenway Fever by John H. Ritter
9. The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson
More Baseball Chapter Books
1. Little Rhino My New Team by Ryan Howard and Krystle Howard
You’ll find the themes about making friends and dealing with bullies to be both realistic and helpful. Little Rhino joins a little league baseball team only to discover that the boy who bullies him is on his same team. His wise grandfather and daily lunch at the dinosaur table help Rhino and his shy friend gain new social skills and the confidence to deal with the bully.
2. A Topps League Story: Book One: Jinxed by Kurtis Scaletta illustrated by Eric Wight
3. The Philly Fake Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly, illustrated by Mark Meyers
Not only is this a well-written mystery, I loved how the author included so much history within the story. I really enjoyed reading it and thought the mystery had a great hook. One of my top picks for early chapter books!
Middle Grade Baseball Books
1. Get a Grip Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit
What a page-turner! Vivy is a girl on the autism spectrum who loves baseball, particularly pitching knuckleballs. The book is written as letters and emails between Vivy and her favorite baseball player, VJ Capello. Vivy writes to VJ all about getting to play on a team as well as making her first friend, pitching, and getting bullied by the coach’s son. When she gets hit in the head with a ball and her mom won’t let her play anymore. How can she convince her mom to change her mind when her mom won’t listen and Vivy gets overwhelmed with communication easily?
2. The Rhino In Right Field by Stacy DeKeyser
I loved this coming-of-age, historical fiction, sports story based on the author’s grandfather’s real-life experience. Nick plays baseball (poorly) next to the city zoo near the rhino’s enclosure. When the local baseball team, the Mudpuppies, offer a batboy-for-a-day contest, Nick’s dad, a Greek immigrant, won’t allow Nick to go because Nick is required to work in the family shoe shop. But, Nick lies so he can enter the contest. He and his best friend meet a girl named Penny who helps them improve their baseball skills.
3. The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz (review written by Yapha Mason)
Do you have a baseball-obsessed reader? This book is a great way to bring in some historical fiction. We follow nine generations of the Schneider family, from 1845 to 2002, told through nine innings of baseball. Gratz touches on some important points in history, including the Civil War, segregation, the WWII era All-American Girls Baseball League, and the Dodgers moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. So much history, all told through baseball. Pick this one up to help your baseball players make it through the off-season!
4. Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz
On a camping trip, the camper catches fire with Dani inside. She’s badly hurt, confined to a wheelchair with months of PT appointments ahead. Not only that, she’s angry that she won’t get to play on the boys’ baseball team. Eric thinks the accident was his fault and friendship troubles ensue! I loved this unique plot leading to relatable friendship woes. This is a memorable story of friendship, growing up, and forgiveness.
5. Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper by Brie Spangler
Gemma is a tall girl who loves baseball but feels like Cinderella, working nonstop to keep her family together since her mom abandoned them, and her dad is always working. She resents her older brother, the Prince of Baseball, for the attention he gets for his talent and that he doesn’t help her around the house. Plus, she is having school and friendship troubles. But after a video of her pitching goes viral and a good talk with her brother, her brother helps Gemma achieve her baseball dreams, too. Gemma’s relatable journey of finding her place and growing up will appeal to readers who can understand exactly what she’s going through, whether they are baseball fans or not.
Nonfiction Baseball Books
1. Who Was Babe Ruth? by Joan Holub illustrated by Ted Hammond
2. Good at Sports – Able to Play by Glenn Stout
3. Sports Illustrated Kids All-Star Activity Book
I really like this baseball-themed activity book! It contains activities that I (as a non-kid and non-baseball person) actually want to do like crosswords, matching, spot the difference, word searches, mazes, fill-ins, and more.
4, The Everything Kids’ Baseball Book by Greg Jacobs
Filled with adorable cartoon illustrations, fact-filled sidebars, and activities, this comprehensive book will teach kids everything they need to know about the sport of baseball. From the rules of the game to the history and the leagues, you’ll soon be a baseball expert.
5. Sports Illustrated Kids Baseball Then to Wow!
This is the kind of book that baseball loving kids will pour over, reading all the facts and sharing the illustrations and stats with friends. It’s cool, too — a combo of photos and fun layout and fonts!
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