Check It Out - There Goes Ted Williams

THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS, THE GREATEST HITTER WHO EVER LIVED (written and illustrated by Matt Tavares)

Even Phillies fans have to give a tip of the cap to batting great Ted Williams.  This picture book biography paints a portrait of the boy who dreamed of baseball glory. 

Whether he was swinging a rolled-up newspaper or doing fingertip push-ups, Ted Williams was always at work, right from childhood, perfecting his game. 

Offered a contract with the Yankees as a high school junior, he was too young to sign, and his mother made the fateful decision that kept him home in California for two more years and set his course toward the Boston Red Sox.  Serving as a fighter pilot in two wars during his peak years, he still shattered hitting records and almost brought the ill-fated Sox to a World Series title.

This short biography is written in glowing terms, but an author’s note at the end mentions Williams’s tantrums and feuds, making him even more real to the real kids who may live in your house.  The note also mentions his exemplary charitable works.

The book, available at the , is large, and the pages are filled edge-to-edge with illustrations that reflect the greens and blues of perfect baseball days and the grays and fiery golds of war.  It’s a perfect book for fans of the game to share with children ages six through ten.