Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball

Gr 3–6—This collection of short pieces outlines the history of baseball. The text is divided into three sections: "Spring," which showcases standout players; "Summer," which focuses mostly on teams; and "Fall," which highlights memorable playoffs and the World Series. A sports writer with ESPN and formerly with the Boston Herald and Washington Post, Bryant often takes a big picture view, considering events in a historical context. But there are plenty of moments of individual glory, such as Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around Jackie Robinson when the latter was being showered with racial epithets and Willie Mays's "perfect catch" over his shoulder in game one of the 1954 Series. Bryant doesn't shy from the darker chapters in the game's history, including the 1998 steroid scandal, which destroyed the reputations of sluggers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, and the player strike of 1994. An upbeat, exuberant tone runs through this work. Some sections are thick with statistics, but this is clearly a book for sports lovers, who likely won't be dissuaded. The volume concludes with 12 pages of photos and a time line of key moments.