¡Viva Valenzuela!: Fernandomania Erupts in Los Angeles

Gr 2-5–It’s April 9, 1981. On the mound for the L.A. Dodgers is 20-year-old Fernando Valenzuela, the first rookie pitcher to start opening day for the club. A southpaw with a mean screwball, he not only shuts out the Astros but will go on to win his first eight starts. Short, squat, with long hair, the youngest of 12 children from a farming family in northern Mexico, he seemed an unlikely candidate for the “Fernandomania” that erupted. He excited wild fandom not only among Mexican Americans in L.A., who had felt segregated from baseball, perceived as a white man’s game, but became a hero across Mexico for fans who started listening to games on the radio. After a lengthy player’s strike, Fernando helped the Dodgers beat the Yankees for their first World Series title since 1965. Lavish, visually rich illustrations by Parra are done in a folk style with flat colors and figures that appear almost like cutouts. Back matter includes a bibliography, author and illustrator’s notes, sidebars on Latinos and the Dodgers and What is a Screwball, and a photo of Valenzuela.