Baseball Books for Kids

If your kids play baseball or just love the game, you’ll be thrilled to know about these great baseball picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction books.

Baseball Picture Books

1. ABCs of Baseball by Peter Golenbock, pictures by Dan Andreasen

2. Flat Stanley at Bat (I Can Read 2) by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Mackey Pamintuan

3. Lucky Luis by Gary Soto, illustrated by Rhode Montijo

4. Brother’s At Bat: The True Story of an All Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

5. Poem Runs: Baseball Poems by Douglas Florian

6. Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen

7. My First Book of Baseball Mostly Everything Explained About the Game A Rookie Book Sports Illustrated Kids

8. The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Player Changed the Game by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Jez Tuya

9. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter & Andre Carrillo

10. The Kid From Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Baseball Chapter Books 

1. Plunked by Michael Northrop
2. A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
3. Fantasy Baseball by Alan Gratz  
4. Pinch Hit by Tim Green
5. The Super Sluggers Wing Ding by Kevin Markey
6. Hothead by Carl Ripkin, Jr.
7. Roberto and Me by Dan Gutman A Baseball Card Adventure
8. Fenway Fever by John H. Ritter
9. The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

More Baseball Chapter Books With Reviews

10. Little Rhino My New Team by Ryan Howard and Krystle Howard
You’ll find the themes about making friends and dealing with bullies to be both realistic and helpful. Little Rhino joins a little league baseball team only to discover that the boy who bullies him is on his same team. His wise grandfather and daily lunch at the dinosaur table help Rhino and his shy friend gain new social skills and the confidence to deal with the bully.

11. A Topps League Story: Book One: Jinxed!  by Kurtis Scaletta illustrated by Eric Wight
This is an early chapter book story that will appeal to kids even if they don’t love baseball as much as Chad, the main character. He’s thrilled to be a bat boy for the summer but can’t understand why his classmate Dylan isn’t as thrilled. Nor can Chad figure out how to help his favorite player who can’t seem to stop all his bad luck. Is he jinxed?

12. The Philly Fake Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly, illustrated by  Mark Meyers
Not only is this a well-written mystery, I loved how the author included so much history within the story. I really enjoyed reading it and thought the mystery had a great hook. One of my top picks for early chapter books!

13. Get a Grip Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit
What a page-turner! Vivy is a girl on the autism spectrum who loves baseball, particularly pitching knuckleballs. The book is written as letters and emails between Vivy and her favorite baseball player, VJ Capello. Vivy writes to VJ all about getting to play on a team as well as making her first friend, pitching, and getting bullied by the coach’s son. When she gets hit in the head with a ball and her mom won’t let her play anymore. How can she convince her mom to change her mind when her mom won’t listen and Vivy gets overwhelmed with communication easily? It’s no surprise that this is an #OwnVoices book because the story feels so real. It’s not just for readers who enjoy sports but for anyone who understands dedication to a passion.

14. The Rhino In Right Field by Stacy DeKeyser

I loved this coming-of-age, historical fiction, sports story!!  And, it’s based on the author’s grandfather’s real-life experience. Nick plays baseball (poorly) next to the city zoo near the rhino’s enclosure. When the local baseball team, the Mudpuppies, offer a batboy-for-a-day contest, Nick’ dad, a Greek immigrant, won’t allow Nick to go because Nick is required to work in the family shoe shop every Saturday. Nick lies so he can enter. He and his best friend, meet a girl named Penny who helps them improve their baseball skills. The author works in so much of the 1940s historical atmosphere and setting (“swell” is used a lot by the adults), narrating a vivid story about a young boy who, through his experiences, grows up a little.

Non-Fiction Baseball Books

1. Who Was Babe Ruth? by Joan Holub illustrated by Ted Hammond

2. Good at Sports – Able to Play by Glenn Stout

3. Sports Illustrated Kids All-Star Activity Book

4. The Everything Kids’ Baseball Book by Greg Jacobs
Filled with adorable cartoon illustrations, fact-filled sidebars, and activities, this comprehensive book will teach kids everything they need to know about the sport of baseball. From the rules of the game to the history and the leagues, you’ll soon be a baseball expert.

5. Sports Illustrated Kids Baseball Then to Wow!
This is the kind of book that baseball loving kids will pour over, reading all the facts and sharing the illustrations and stats with friends. It’s cool, too — a combo of photos and fun layout and fonts!

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