Last summer, my kiddos and I enjoyed
several brief but informative summer evening read-alouds with nonfiction picture books. Last evening, we reignited that tradition with two winning choices.
We hit it out of the park (pun intended) with Nancy Churnin's
The William Hoy Story. Hoy was an outstanding major league baseball player who also happened to be deaf. His story is one of hard work, determination, and courage. Very inspirational. I teared up toward the end because I was so moved and, honestly, it's good for kids to see that kind of tangible evidence of the power of words and stories.
The fact that Hoy played several seasons for the Cincinnati Reds (and grew up in Ohio, JUST LIKE I DID!!!) sealed the deal for me on the excellence of this story. Didn't hurt that the kids and I were just at a Reds game two weeks ago when visiting family. You can see in the photo above that Jez Tuya's illustrations are stellar. So, in short, if you have children in your house, you should read them this book. If you have young ball players in your house, you have to read them this book. My kids are not all that little (11, 9, and 7) but loved it.
And if this one inspires you to read another excellent nonfiction picture book about baseball:
check out Brothers at Bat.
Our other nonfiction picture book was also great, but more nerve-wracking than inspiring.
Crossing Niagara: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin by Matt Tavares is one of those true stories that seems unbelievable (but isn't). If you've ever visited Niagara Falls or are planning to visit, check it out. If your own child is a daredevil, maybe skip it.
We have two more nonfiction gems checked out from the library so stay tuned!
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