Many believe baseball great Willie Mays to be the best player that ever lived. He hit 660 home runs (fourth best of all time), had a lifetime batting average of .302, and is second only to Babe Ruth on The Sporting News's list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."
In Jonah Winter and Terry Widener's fascinating picture book biography, young readers can follow Mays's unparalleled career from growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, to playing awe-inspiring ball in the Negro Leagues and then the Majors, where he was center fielder for the New York (later San Francisco) Giants. Complete with sidebars filled with stats, here is a book for all baseball lovers, young and old.
"The Say Hey Kid had style to spare, and so does this irrepressible book." —Booklist, Starred
On sale: March 8, 2016
Age: 4-8 years
Grade: Grades 6-8
Page count: 40 Pages
ISBN: 9781101934210
Reading level: Lexile: 1010L | Fountas/Pinnell: P
Jonah Winter and Terry Widener collaborated on one previous picture book,
Steel Town. Jonah is also the author of
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!, which received three starred reviews;
Here Comes the Garbage Barge!, a
New York Times Best Illustrated Book; and
Dizzy, the recipient of Best Book of the Year citations from
Booklist, School Library Journal, Horn Book, The Bulletin, and
Kirkus Reviews. His other picture book biographies include
Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Diego, and
Frida, a Parents' Choice Gold Medal winner.
Terry Widener's acclaimed picture books include
Lou Gerhrig, The Luckiest Man, a
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book, and IRA Teachers' Choice; and
America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book,
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year, and
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.
“Winter’s heartfelt, accessible text is infused with immediacy and enthusiasm…. Magnificent biography.” —
The New York Times Book Review
Starred Review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2013:
“Even adults who are indifferent to baseball will likely be so drawn into Mays’ story and Winter’s rousing text that they’ll want to gather up a crowd just to read this one aloud.”
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, December 3, 2012:
“A must-have for baseball fans.”
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2012:
“An all-star gem to share with grandparents, parents, children, baseball fans and anyone else.”
Starred Review, Booklist, September 1, 2012:
“The Say Hey Kid had style to spare, and so does this irrepressible book.”
