School Library Journal

Mo Jackson is a little kid with a big love for baseball. Unfortunately, he is smaller and younger than the rest of the players on his team, the Lions. When Coach Marie assigns the batting order, Mo bats last (usually the spot for the weakest hitter). When she assigns field positions, Mo gets right field (few balls ever go to right field). As the opposing team scores two runs, Mo worries that he will not get a hit. A brown-skinned boy with curly locks that peek out from under his helmet, Mo strikes out his first two times at bat. In the ninth inning with two outs, people are cheering and Coach Marie is shouting. When he turns to hear what she is saying, Mo accidentally hits the ball. The ball then rolls past the pitcher and keeps on rolling, bringing in Mo and the two other players who are on base. In an ending that is neither original nor a surprise, Mo’s home run wins the game; even the youngest baseball-playing reader is going to wonder how a slight tap of the bat propelled the ball to roll far enough to bring in three runs. The illustrations are fun with good use of color and perspective, and they depict a multicultural lineup. VERDICT An additional purchase for beginning reader collections.—Jennifer Steib Simmons, Anderson County Library, SC