The Funniest Man in Baseball: The True Story of Max Patkin

..[B]ack in the 1920s and ’30s, twelve of sixteen Acerra children played baseball (the girls back then didn’t play sports). This upbeat look at one close-knit, longtime baseball-playing family is jauntily illustrated. An author’s note reveals her inspiration and an update on the Acerras (including their induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame).

A girl with ponytails takes her buffalo to school, and as one might guess, the buffalo doesn’t respond quite the same as everyone else. But the buffalo learns about individuality and respect just like the children starting kindergarten will. Cartoon illustrations enhance the silliness of the sincere message.

The narrator and his friend Tyler will soon start 2nd grade. Will his new teacher and the more advanced grade be as bad as the boys’ older sister warn? Happily, the younger siblings catch on to the teasing when they acknowledge that they are no longer as gullible as first graders! The funny narration is accompanied by jaunty, expressive ink and wash illustrations.

Effa Manley, born when jazz was new and sports were segregated, was passionate about fairness and baseball. She was to become the first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with players from the Negro Baseball League. Her life is presented in stylized illustration and clear text, for an intriguing portrait of a person and a time.

Not only did Edith Houghton play baseball in 1912, she played when she was only 10 years old!  As an adult, Edith became a baseball scout, looking for other baseball talent. Her little-known story is well told and handsomely illustrated.