There Goes Ted Williams: Candlewick Biographies: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived

Description

"A glorious tribute to a baseball legend and a complicated human being." -School Library Journal Ted Williams was an ordinary kid who wanted one thing: to hit a baseball better than anyone else. So he practiced his swing every chance he got. And then practiced it some more. From his days playing ball in North Park as a kid to his unmatched .406 season in 1941 to his stints as a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, the story of Teddy Ballgame is the story of an American hero.

Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of Zachary's Ball, Oliver's Game, Mudball, and Henry Aaron's Dream, and the illustrator of Over the River and Through the Wood, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas, The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, and Lady Liberty: A Biography by Doreen Rappaport. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.

Tavares's full-bleed spreads alternate with sepia-toned spot drawings, all beautifully arranged in this old-fashioned but evergreen tribute. -The New York Times With smooth, sweeping lines and naturalistic details, Tavares's mixed-media artwork conveys Williams's joyful devotion to his sport. -Publishers Weekly Tavares's present-tense narrative lends drama and immediacy to the all-smiles-and-heroics biography, and the watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations depict Williams as large as a double-page spread can hold. Published in time for Fenway Park's centennial celebrations, this full-of-life biography will be a hit with young baseball fans. -Horn Book This is a glorious tribute to a baseball legend and a complicated human being. -School Library Journal Kids will especially like that this wonderful picture book spends a lot of time talking about the childhood of the famous Boston Red Sox slugger... An exciting and inspiring story. -Washington Post KidsPost A baseball hero and an American hero, the last player to hit over .400 in a season; here, Ted Williams is introduced to a new generation of baseball fans. -Kirkus Reviews Striking portraits, rendered in watercolor, gouache, and pencil, show the skinny young Williams and his gradual physical maturation into the lanky, muscular mature athlete and navy pilot. -Booklist Online Matt Tavares delivers a solid hit in his biography of this great baseball player. -Library Media Connection Tavares writes THERE GOES TED WILLIAMS like a jazzy poem. There is musicality in every line and in every full-color painting. The nostalgia of the paintings plays beautifully against the straight-up clarity of the prose. It's full of the statistics and details so dear to the hearts of baseball lovers. -The Boston Globe Full of movement, the multimedia art is perfect complement to this tale of stellar performance and personal sacrifice. -San Francisco Chronicle