Thursday, February 21, 2013

Wacholtz, Anthony. Ultimate Collection of Pro Baseball Records.


Wacholtz, AnthonyUltimate Collection of Pro Baseball RecordsCapstone Publishers     32p  $33.99  978-1-4296-8714-0      2013  ms/jr   VG-BNS   
Series: For the Record Sports nonfiction

This is a highly entertaining and well-researched volume from Sports Illustrated for Kids, and it should be a hit with young baseball fans.  Perfect for browsing, this volume contains tables of the best of” and “the worst of” in many statistical areas, with interesting anecdotal information, as well as explanations of historically significant facts.  Photos of famous players from the early days of baseball to the present are included on the pages detailing their records.  Each chapter addresses a new aspect of the game - hitting, pitching, teams, and post-season play. 

While no volume for young readers can include every baseball statistic, it would have been interesting to include the perfect games in the pitching chapterAnd, while the author intended to make this book upbeat and interesting for young readers, some mention could have been made about the steroid controversy and the records of Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.  That omission notwithstanding, most of the book is entertaining and informative and will appeal to elementary and lower-middle-school baseball fans.

Bibliographical references and a link to FactHound for additional web-based information are included, as well as a comprehensive index.    This book is part of the For the Record series.  There are four books in the series at this time, and its focus is the presentation of selected professional sports statistics.  The books in the series are perfect for browsing.  Capstone has worked in partnership with Sports Illustrated for Kids to create the series

Baseball Statistics                                         --Pat Naismith

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