Tavares, Matt. There goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.

Tavares, Matt.  There goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.  Random/Candlewick Press  2015  $14.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-7655-1  elem/ms  Biography  E-BN                

Matt Tavares hits a home run with There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.  Tavares grew up hearing amazing stories about Williams from his father.  He says, “The Ted Williams I grew up hearing about seemed larger than life.  He could see the seams on a Bob Feller fastball.  He could fly a fighter jet.  He could do just about anything.”  Even when Tavares discovered a less likeable side of Williams through his research for this book, he came to realize that despite his faults, Williams was still a hero.  His batting record (included in the back of the book) supports this assessment, as does Williams’ voluntary enlistment to become a fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War.  Very few players would jeopardize a successful professional baseball career to serve in the military. 

There Goes Ted Williams is told in prose so spare that it is almost poetry.  The text is combined with wonderfully evocative illustrations that capture Williams’ determination and grit to become a legendary baseball hitter, and his deep-seated joy in the game of baseball.  A quick but memorable read, this appealing, engaging volume is sure to be a hit with all readers.      

Summary: This is a picture-book biography of baseball legend Ted Williams.         

Baseball-Biography                                          --Hilary Welliver