A review by nerfherder86
The Kid from Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton by Audrey Vernick

4.0

I know nothing about sports figures so I'm always intrigued by just how many more famous (or not famous til now) baseball players can have a picture book written about them. Haha! But I really enjoyed this one because it was about a GIRL becoming a great player, and I wished I'd heard of her before now. Edith Houghton grew up in Philadelphia, one of TEN children, played baseball even though girls weren't usually expected to or asked to, and she joined the Philadelphia Bobbies, an all-girl team, in 1922. At the age of TEN, mind you. The rest of the team were teenagers or adults!! They toured the country, and even played in Japan, mostly against male teams. She was nicknamed "The Kid," for obvious reasons. I loved the illustrations, color pencil (I think), realistic. Includes author's note with photos of Edith, who died in 2013. After her baseball career (playing for a few different women's teams) she went on to be a baseball scout and served in World War II as a WAVE. My only negative note, and what kept me from giving it five stars, is that there are several direct quotes from Edith that are not sourced. There's no bibliography, only a mention of Edith's diary that can be seen in the Baseball Hall of Fame--but the author doesn't say she quoted it, just that she'd seen it. Would have loved to have that cleared up. But overall a fun informational picture book to inspire girls who love to play ball.