NO EASY WAY

“The Splendid Splinter,” aka Ted Williams, was a baseball phenom. From his childhood in 1930s San Diego, Calif., he practiced and practiced hitting a baseball and developed a smooth, strong swing. But there was (and is) no easy way to hit a small, round ball with a narrow piece of wood. Williams doggedly worked on his hitting until he became one of the best players in the history of the game. In the 1941 season with two games remaining, his batting average was .39955, but Williams came through and achieved a record-breaking .406, the last full-season .400 in baseball. Bowen, who writes a sports column for kids, tells the story journalistically, extending his account of the season-ending doubleheader that took Williams over the top to heighten the tension. Pyle’s paintings give the feeling of baseball, players and the parks in which they played in active and accurate portraits that match the writing—strong sports reporting, both visually and textually, to provide readers, be they baseball fans or not, the excitement of games and the efforts of a player whose feat has yet to be matched in modern times. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)