beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure I like the cover - though I am looking at the F&G so the cover may still change. However, this picture book biography of Willie Mayes is informative, interesting facts, and good endnotes.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
Picture book biography about the colorful NY Yankees manager during their dominant 1950's era. I knew nothing about him so I learned a lot, such as: he spoke in colorful funny quips called Stengelese ("The team has come along slow but fast"), was a prankster during his years as a ballplayer, and did absentminded things like walk onto the field without pants (while managing the Toledo Mudhens, whom I always think of as "Crankshaft's team" :-) Interesting book with caricature-style pen and ink drawings that lend it a lighthearted tone. The only sources listed, though, are websites to find baseball statistics, and those even come with a note that they can be interpreted many ways (!).
backonthealex's review against another edition
4.0
Once, when I was young, I met Willie Mays. At the time, I had no idea who he was. But it didn't take my dad long to explain to me the significance of this great baseball player in the world of sports.
As a boy, Willie always wanted to play baseball just like his hero, the legendary Joe DiMaggio. He practiced hard and became really good at what he did. The only problem was that major league baseball was a white man's game AND Willie lived in the south where Jim Crow laws were still in effect, both of which limited his opportunties to play ball.
Still, by age 15, Willie was such a good ball player he was asked to play pro ball in the Negro Leagues, Willie spent his summer vacations traveling around the country in a bus with the other league players. But Willie's talent on a baseball field was being watched by scouts and when the major leagues were finally integrated, the New York Giants signed him on. The Giants were only an OK teams until they got Willie.
Over time, Willie played baseball just like his hero, Joe DiMaggio and did indeed became a legend - not just for his skills playing baseball but for leading the way for other black players who also aspired to become part of major league baseball and forever changing who could play the game.
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! is a wonderful biographical picture book for older readers. Written as a narrative in a voice that reminded me of the ways kids talked in old 1940s movies - snappy, slangy and personal. At the center of the this book the story of Willie's life and his achievements, but it is also packed with baseball information and statistics on almost all the pages, lots of it for budding baseball fans and players alike, and just the kinds of things kids like to know about their heroes and what they can do.
Jonah Winter is not stranger to writing about baseball's great players - he also wrote You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! about another great player who also changed who plays the game.
The realistic full page illustrations, acrylic on chipboard, done by Terry Widener really capture not only the movement of the game, but also the joy of playing a game he loves.
One word about the cover - fabulous. It is a lenticular picture, which means that when you move it, you can see the famous Willie Mays at bat hitting the ball. It is somewhat like a hologram and will definitely please young readers (and older ones, for that matter).
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! is an exciting, informative book for anyone who loves baseball history, the game and the players. And even if baseball isn't your thing, it is still a wonderful biography of a great African American who helped to change history.
This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
As a boy, Willie always wanted to play baseball just like his hero, the legendary Joe DiMaggio. He practiced hard and became really good at what he did. The only problem was that major league baseball was a white man's game AND Willie lived in the south where Jim Crow laws were still in effect, both of which limited his opportunties to play ball.
Still, by age 15, Willie was such a good ball player he was asked to play pro ball in the Negro Leagues, Willie spent his summer vacations traveling around the country in a bus with the other league players. But Willie's talent on a baseball field was being watched by scouts and when the major leagues were finally integrated, the New York Giants signed him on. The Giants were only an OK teams until they got Willie.
Over time, Willie played baseball just like his hero, Joe DiMaggio and did indeed became a legend - not just for his skills playing baseball but for leading the way for other black players who also aspired to become part of major league baseball and forever changing who could play the game.
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! is a wonderful biographical picture book for older readers. Written as a narrative in a voice that reminded me of the ways kids talked in old 1940s movies - snappy, slangy and personal. At the center of the this book the story of Willie's life and his achievements, but it is also packed with baseball information and statistics on almost all the pages, lots of it for budding baseball fans and players alike, and just the kinds of things kids like to know about their heroes and what they can do.
Jonah Winter is not stranger to writing about baseball's great players - he also wrote You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! about another great player who also changed who plays the game.
The realistic full page illustrations, acrylic on chipboard, done by Terry Widener really capture not only the movement of the game, but also the joy of playing a game he loves.
One word about the cover - fabulous. It is a lenticular picture, which means that when you move it, you can see the famous Willie Mays at bat hitting the ball. It is somewhat like a hologram and will definitely please young readers (and older ones, for that matter).
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! is an exciting, informative book for anyone who loves baseball history, the game and the players. And even if baseball isn't your thing, it is still a wonderful biography of a great African American who helped to change history.
This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
wordnerd153's review against another edition
4.0
The illustrative style and voice of the narrator bump this up to 4 stars. Should appeal to both fans and non-fans of baseball.
wordnerd153's review against another edition
3.0
Even non-baseball fans will be enthralled by this biography that presents information in a humorous and accessible way. Many pages contain insets of baseball stats and additional facts about baseball that frame the narrative, but aren't necessary to read for those who just want to join Mays' for the thrilling ride that was his life.
wordnerd153's review against another edition
4.0
Great balance of information and humor, some of which made me laugh out loud. I actually hadn't heard of Stengel until I read this book, but I'm so glad I know about him now. This will appeal to both fans and non-fans of baseball.
sarahsvarda's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book out loud to my husband and he had a smile on his face the whole time. Fun book with stats for the boys and cool facts you may not have already known about Sandy Koufax.
benedorm's review against another edition
3.0
Aside from taking in a game on a beautiful afternoon, there's nothing that diehard baseball fans (a group of which I count myself a proud member) love more than making lists -- and there's no list more fun to make than that of the greatest players of all time. However, there's only a handful of names one can make a reasonable case for putting at the top of that list: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner for sure, and maybe Ted Williams, Oscar Charleston, Mickey Mantle, and (depending on how you feel about steroid use and sports) Barry Bonds. Oh, and Willie Mays -- the Say Hey Kid, the pride of the Giants, one of the most spectacular hitters and fielders ever to roam the diamond, and maybe the greatest.
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! is written in the second person, as a conversational introduction to the legendary center fielder. Jonah Winter emphasizes Mays' importance in his historical moment, when the major leagues were still in the process of integration (Mays actually played a few seasons in the Negro Leagues as a teenager). He skillfully portrays Mays not only as a preternaturally gifted athlete, but as a tireless worker and ambassador for the game.
Winter makes the interesting choice of ending his story after the 1954 World Series, in which the 23-year-old Mays' spectacular play led the Giants to victory. This leaves out the remaining 18 years of Mays' career -- which included two more World Series appearances, a second MVP award, and four home run titles -- as well as his eventual induction into the Hall of Fame. I recognize that the narrative Winter has chosen to tell comes to a natural conclusion there, but I'm not sure I agree with the decision to confine the rest of Mays' brilliant career to the appendix.
A longer version of this review appears at abouttomock.blogspot.com
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! is written in the second person, as a conversational introduction to the legendary center fielder. Jonah Winter emphasizes Mays' importance in his historical moment, when the major leagues were still in the process of integration (Mays actually played a few seasons in the Negro Leagues as a teenager). He skillfully portrays Mays not only as a preternaturally gifted athlete, but as a tireless worker and ambassador for the game.
Winter makes the interesting choice of ending his story after the 1954 World Series, in which the 23-year-old Mays' spectacular play led the Giants to victory. This leaves out the remaining 18 years of Mays' career -- which included two more World Series appearances, a second MVP award, and four home run titles -- as well as his eventual induction into the Hall of Fame. I recognize that the narrative Winter has chosen to tell comes to a natural conclusion there, but I'm not sure I agree with the decision to confine the rest of Mays' brilliant career to the appendix.
A longer version of this review appears at abouttomock.blogspot.com