The Cincinnati Reds
by Mark Stewart
(Team Spirit series)
Norwood House Press, 2012
48 pages
Looking for a way to get your kids prepared for the upcoming baseball season? The “Team Spirit” series from Norwood House Press is a great place to start. While the series has been around for a while, there are brand new editions for all thirty MLB teams which include information through the 2011 season.
Full-color photos and images of rare memorabilia are prevalent throughout the Cincinnati Reds book. Author Mark Stewart tells readers about legendary Reds players like Bid McPhee and Ted Kluszewski as well as modern-day stars such as Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto. He even mentions new acquisitions Mat Latos and Sean Marshall, showing just how updated some of the information is.
The book is designed for young readers, but still mentions some debatable topics such as the greatest moment in Reds’ history (Pete Rose‘s 4256 hits vs. Johnny Vander Meer‘s back-to-back no-hitters) and whether the Big Red Machine would beat the 1990 squad. There are two full pages about the first night game, played at Crosley Field in 1935, as well as charts listing all of the Reds’ award winners, pennants, and championships. When your child gets to the end, there is even a glossary to help him understand some words that may be new to him.
My favorite section is “Rumor Has It,” which talks about Big Klu’s football prowess in college, Billy Hatcher‘s hot start in the 1990 World Series, and Billy Bates‘ race against a cheetah.
Bottom-line: this is a fun book that youngsters will get a kick out of, and could start some really good conversations between father and son about your team of choice.
Learn more about Norwood House Press.
Purchase Cincinnati Reds by Mark Stewart (Team Spirit series)
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