*Playing Right Field by Willy Welch (1995) is a unique story made even more special because it’s in rhyme and made fabulous by Marc Simont’s illustrations. First of all, a simple picture book about baseball sure is fun. There’s only four lines at most on a page. Often only two lines captures the essence of standing far away from the action. “Playing right field can be lonely and dull. Little Leagues never have lefties that pull.” The writing is excellent, the rhyme works, and the vocabulary assumes a familiarity with baseball. Simont fills the book’s large pages with acres of dandelion covered fields. Right field feels miles away. The ending is authentic. The kid who ends up in right field doesn’t suddenly display awesome, until now hidden, athletic talent. But he’s a hero anyway.
