New York Sports Teams |
New York City has to be one of the greatest places in America, if not the world.
Luckily for us, many authors have chronicled The Big Apple's antics in a way just right
for kids.
Here are some of
the books available. This is not yet a complete list, but I'm adding
books to the list daily. If you wish to purchase any of these books, click on either the title or the book cover to be directed to Amazon.com. As a warning, I have put up pictures of the book covers to give you somewhat an idea of the style of each book (I know, I know. "Don't judge a book by its cover") so the pages may load slowly, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
The categories below are sorted by approximate age group and topical categories. Feel free to browse around. The same links are located on the left side of your screen. To return back to this page, simply click on the "Welcome" link on the left.
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Other Pages of Interest:
Fiction & Historical Fiction:
General Books About New York City (Nonfiction) |
Fiction NYC Picture Books and "Easy Reader" Stories (Ages 4-8) |
Fiction NYC Books (Ages 9-12) |
New York Fiction for Young Adults |
New York Historical Fiction (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) |
New York Historical Fiction (Ellis Island & Immigration) |
New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1800s) |
New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1900s)
NYC History:
New York Biographies |
Native Americans from New York (History and Historical Fiction) |
New York History (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) |
New York History (Immigration and Ellis Island) |
New York History (The 1800s) |
New York History (The 1900s) |
The World Trade Center and September 11, 2001 |
NYC Locations:
The Statue of Liberty |
The Empire State Building |
Central Park |
NYC Art Museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, etc.) |
NYC's American Museum of Natural History |
Harlem Books (Including books about the Harlem Renaissance) |
Chinatown Books |
Little Italy Books |
The New York City Subway System |
Brooklyn Books |
The Bronx Books |
Queens Books |
Staten Island Books |
Long Island Books |
Upstate New York Books |
New York State Books
Life and Travel in NYC:
Thanksgiving in New York City |
Christmas in New York City |
New York Sports Teams and Players
The NYC Fire Department (FDNY) and NY Police Department (NYPD) |
General Books About Cities |
New York City and New York State Test Preparation and Study Guides |
New York Regents Review Books |
Parenting in New York City |
New York Travel Guides for Families with Children
NYC Toys, Puzzles, and Games (For Kids & Adults) |
Amazon.com Coupon Codes
Baseball
Great Sports Teams: The New York Yankees
By John F. Grabowski
No team in professional sports history has been more successful than the New York Yankees. Players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle became legends in a city that demands a winner, and accepts nothing less than a 100 percent effort at all times.
Description from Publisher
Great Sports Teams: The New York Yankees Baseball Team
By David Pietrusza
A team history of the most successful sports franchise of all time focused on its greatest players and their legendary managers.
Description from Publisher
History of the New York Yankees
By Richard Rambeck
Highlights the key personalities and memorable games in the history of the team that has won twenty-two World Series titles and thirty-four American League pennants.
Description from Publisher
"The History of the New York Yankees," like all of the Baseball books in this Creative Education series, is intended to introduce younger fans of today to the past of their favorite team. Of course, when you are talking about the storied history of the New York Yankees, author Richard Rambeck faces a large challenge with this team than with any other. Rambeck tells about the early history of the team, the glory years with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and then the years dominated by the great centerfielders Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. The pace of the narrative slows down a bit once we get to the George Steinbrenner era and Rambeck covers the ups, downs and ups of the Yankees. This book ends early in the 1998 season when David Wells threw a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series the next three seasons and be one inning away from making it four in a row, so more than any other book in this series this one is probably the most outdated given how the Bronx Bombers have been adding to their legacy.
Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
Teammates
By Peter Golenbock
Awards:
- 1990 Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
The moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a major league baseball team and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, PeeWee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate.
Description from Publisher
The event occurred during Jackie Robinson's first season with the Dodgers. Listening to the hatred that spilled out of the stands, Pee Wee Reese left his position at shortstop, walked over to Robinson at first base, put his around Robinson's shoulder, chatted for a few moments, and then returned to his position. The crowd was stunned into silence. Bacon has illustrated the book with an effective blend of photographs and drawings. Golenbock briefly but clearly describes the background of Robinson's entry into the National League, as well as Reese's background as a southerner and as the player with the most to fear if Robinson were successful--both men were shortstops (although Robinson would ultimately play second base). There have been several recent books about Robinson for young readers, such as David Adler's Jackie Robinson: He Was the First and Jim O'Connor's Jackie Robinson and the Story of All-Black Baseball, but none of them have the style or dramatic impact of Golenbock and Bacon's work. This is a wonderful and important story, beautifully presented
Description from School Library Journal
The Babe & I
By David A. Adler
"For my birthday I was hoping my parents would give me a bicycle. They only gave me a dime."
So begins David Adler's inspired tale of the challenges and magic--yes, magic--of a depression-era childhood spent in the Bronx, New York. Disappointed, but not surprised by his present, the young narrator in The Babe & I spends his birthday afternoon wandering neighborhood streets with his best friend Jacob, discussing--as always--the New York Yankees and the world's greatest baseball player, Babe Ruth. The boys may have little in the way of monetary goods, but they do live within walking distance of Yankee stadium. They get a special lift from their proximity to this golden team of graced athletes, even if they can never go inside the gate. On this day, however, the stakes are raised significantly when the narrator discovers a difficult, saddening secret about his father. In response, he decides to join Jacob and become a newspaper boy--a decision that helps his family through these tough years and leads the narrator into the best, most unbelievable encounter of his life--better than any bike or birthday or anything.
Adler's honest, vivid reflection of 1930s life is perfectly complemented by Terry Widener's evocative, earth-toned illustrations. Reminiscent of WPA murals, Widener's images help Adler transport the reader to another time and place in a symbiotic pairing that makes this tender book a true work of art.
Description from Amazon.com
Adler (Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man) sets his fictional story during the week of July 14, 1932, in the Bronx, when the news items that figure in this tale happened. A boy gets a dime for his birthday, instead of the bicycle he longs for, because it is the Great Depression, and everyone who lives in his neighborhood is poor. While helping his friend Jacob sell newspapers, he discovers that his own father, who leaves the house with a briefcase each day, is selling apples on Webster Avenue along with the other unemployed folk. Jacob takes the narrator to Yankee Stadium with the papers, and people don't want to hear about the Coney Island fire or the boy who stole so he could get something to eat in jail. They want to hear about Babe Ruth and his 25th homer. As days pass, the narrator keeps selling papers, until the astonishing day when Ruth himself buys a paper from the boy with a five-dollar bill and tells him to keep the change. The acrylic paintings bask in the glow of a storied time, where even row houses and the elevated train have a warm, solid presence. The stadium and Webster Avenue are monuments of memory rather than reality in a style that echoes Thomas Hart Benton's strong color and exaggerated figures.
Description from Kirkus Review
The team that brought us Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (rev. 7/97) has homered again with this upbeat yet touching story set in 1932 during the Depression. The locale is the Bronx, where the more affluent buy tickets to see the great Babe Ruth perform his magic in Yankee Stadium, but where others, unemployed, sell apples on the sidewalk. The story begins when the young narrator, believing that his father is one of the lucky ones with a job, is disappointed to receive a dime, not the hoped-for bicycle, for his birthday. Later that day, he discovers the truth-that his father is one of the unemployed apple sellers, but ashamed to inform his family. With the help of his friend Jacob, the boy becomes a "newsie" to supplement the family income. He, too, tries to keep his occupation a secret, but when it is revealed, father and son develop a bond of understanding. Meanwhile, tutored by Jacob, the boy becomes proficient at selling papers, selecting the right headlines to entice customers. At Yankee Stadium, the appropriate focus is always the latest news about Babe Ruth-and one day, the Babe himself buys a paper with a five-dollar bill, enabling the two boys to see a real Yankee game. Terry Widener's illustrations are reminiscent of the regional murals of Thomas Hart yet are definitely his own, evoking the ambiance of the period without attempting a slavish imitation. Carefully paced, remarkable for its unified focus, this is the kind of book that makes you want to buy season tickets.
Description from Horn Book
Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man
By David A. Adler
The story of Lou Gehrig, the heroic Yankee who battled with ALS, was inspirational far beyond Yankee Stadium. David Adler's spare biography tells Gehrig's story just as the athlete lived: with unassuming simplicity. It's a wise choice, since the story is so affecting on its own. Another wise choice was Adler's decision to remain vague about the details of Gehrig's illness. The story is no less affecting without them, and probably contains enough sadness for any child. As good as this book is, Terry Widener's illustrations multiply its impact enormously.
[Recommended for ages 5-9. Older siblings will probably be willing to hang around to hear it though.]
Description from Amazon.com
Kids of today may not immediately recognize the name Lou Gehrig, but they will be immediately drawn into this picture book for older children about the "Iron Horse." Adler sets his narrative stage by telling readers that in 1903, Henry Ford sold his first auto, the Wright brothers took their first flight, and Lou Gehrig was born. Young Lou, who never missed a day of school, became a baseball player who never missed a game. Crisply and concisely, Adler covers the many high points of Gehrig's career, at the same time giving readers a real sense of the man and his shining spirit. Gehrig's illness and eventual death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are handled with dignity and in a way youngsters will understand. The picture-book format gets a lift here from Widener's impressive artwork. Reminiscent of WPA art with its rounded shapes and potent energy, these pictures project a zest for life on and off the playing field. The last spread, showing Yankee Stadium on the day of Gehrig's funeral, awash in rain, provides a silent but powerful ending to Gehrig's story.
Description from Booklist
The aw-shucks decency of Gehrig drives this picture-book biography from Adler (One Yellow Daffodil); what comes through is Gehrig as a genuine rarity, blessed with colossal athletic talent that he carried with dignity and modesty. The familiar story (no sources are given, but it follows the Gary Cooper movie, Pride of the Yankees, quite closely) is here: how Gehrig left college and signed with the Yankees to get money for his family; his remarkable, 14-year, 2,130-consecutive-game record; how he benched himself when he started to experience the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; his farewell speech to Yankee fans ("I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth"); his death at age 37 and the rain that fell on his funeral. Adler never overstates the adulation, which would sound hokey on anyone else's shoulders, but fits Gehrig snugly. Newcomer Widener's illustrations capture the texture of Gehrig's city and playing fields, although one spread--of Yankee Stadium in the rain-- brings the book to a premature close (a dangling page of text follows). Readers will feel good after reading this biography--and maybe even inspired to start measuring themselves against Gehrig's standard.
Description from Kirkus Reviews
My Dad's Baseball
By Ron Cohen
The appeal of both '50s nostalgia and baseball will make Cohen's first children's book a hit with Little Leaguers as well as their parents. After a yellowed baseball rolls out of a box in his mother's attic, a man tells his seven-year-old son exactly where it came from. "Some days stay in your mind forever, Max. June 4, 1955, is one of them," he explains. On that day, it develops, the boy's father went with his father and brother to Yankee Stadium to see his very first baseball game. An extended flashback presents the father as a youngster (a diehard Milwaukee Braves fan nonetheless thrilled to watch the likes of Mickey Mantle) attending a game between the Yanks and the Detroit Tigers. The big moment arrives when the boy grabs a ball that Yogi Berra has hit into the stands; when he has it autographed the next day, his Braves cap falls out of his pocket, but Berra lets him know that his allegiance to that team is okay ("You should always be who you are"). When the story returns to the present, the father gives the ball to his delighted son. There are no surprises or unexpected twists, just a thoroughly warm tale, simply told. Effectively grainy pastels ably depict the period and convey the timeless allure of baseball.
Description from Publishers Weekly
Stumbling upon an old, autographed baseball in a box in his mother's attic, a father relates to his seven-year-old son the story of how he got it. The man's first-person account describes his thoughts and feelings when, as a seven-year-old, he went to Yankee Stadium to see his first professional game. He is thrilled with the whole experience, but his day is made when he retrieves a ball hit by Yogi Berra. Arrangements are made to have it signed by Berra the following day, and the great catcher is amused to find out that the boy is really a Braves fan. Cohen's dark, grainy paintings adequately capture the surroundings of the story, but depict the subjects with rather surreal-looking facial expressions. The baseball players mentioned are legends, such as Mays, Mantle, and Mathews, and their names might not be familiar to the intended audience. Adults, on the other hand, might have their own memories sparked by the book's setting and style.
Description from School library Journal
It's become a kind of subgenre--baby boomers writing or illustrating picture books about being young baseball fans in the fifties, usually in New York. The audience is ostensibly the young fans of today, but, in fact, it's other boomers for whom names like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Willie Mays will never lose their romance. You can almost hear the boomers' kids saying, "Oh, Dad, do we have to read that book about old-time baseball "again"? Every now and then, though, one of these nostalgic trips to Yankee Stadium or Ebbets Field turns out to be something more than boomer self-indulgence. First-time children's book author Cohen, a successful artist, avoids the pitfalls of the subgenre by remembering the importance of a story--unadulterated nostalgia isn't enough for an audience that missed the fifties by four decades. It's a simple story, to be sure: rummaging in the attic, Dad finds his old baseball autographed by Yogi Berra and tells his son the story of how he got it--the trip to Yankee Stadium for his first game, the home run that landed in his frightened hands, the meeting with Yogi, the irony of being a Milwaukee Braves fan living in enemy territory. Fortunately, the message, about sticking up for what you believe, is treated gently, the way a fleet outfielder sneaks up on a fly ball and then gathers it in with the softest of hands. Cohen's art is subtle, too, soft-focus paintings dominated by greens and browns (against which Dad's red-and-blue Braves hat stands out all the more), evoking both the hazy romance of memory and the homey comfort of a ballpark. This one's a keeper, for both boomers and their kids.
Description from Booklist
The History of the New York Mets
By Michael E. Goodman
Highlights the personalities and memorable games in the history of the team that began play in New York in 1962.
Description from Publisher
New York Mets
By Chris W. Sehnert
Focuses on key players and events in the history of the New York Mets, from their formation in 1962 through their up and down seasons over the next thirty-plus years.
Description from Publisher
The New York Mets: A Photographic History
By George Kalinsky
From the lens of George Kalinsky comes this lavish look at the history of The New York Mets - from the team's first day on the field in 1962 up to the 1995 season. Over 250 stunning photographs capture the drama of this beloved team. From the diamond to the locker room, pictures of the players, coaches and managers make this photographic journey one that will be turned to fondly time and time again. Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Willie Mays, Mookie Wilson, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Bobby Bonilla and the many, many others who have found their way into the history and lore of the Mets club are recorded here in dramatic style. Kalinsky's masterful photography captures the essence of the Mets that has made this team so colorful and unique. Faithful during the '69 and '86 World Series wins and loyal throughout the struggles of the late '70s and early '80s, the fans are at the heart of the Mets, and that dedication is rewarded here. With stadium shots, Official Score Book covers, Mets memorabilia and more, Kalinsky has fashioned this volume into what is an extraordinary compilation of the baseball experience. Complementing the spectacular photography is a unique oral history of the team, compiled by Sports Illustrated's Jon Scher. From the mouths of the players come the stories of what it is and was really like to play for this fascinating ball club. Perfect for every Mets fan, this wonderful collection is one that will be treasured for many seasons to come.
Description from Publisher
Mike Piazza
By Brant James
Easy reading with short chapters. Interesting biographical information with great photo's.
Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
The Box Seat Dream
By Richard Bosworth
Imagine a young athlete receiving a gift that mysteriously transports him to the greatest sports arena of the second millennium, visiting glorious time periods long before he was born. Experiencing events and seeing individuals he had only heard about through his parents, grandparents, and the media. A gift, that to everyone else in the world is nothing more than sports memorabilia, but to Jimmy McNeil, it is the conduit to his future, only, if he can first unlock the secret of Box Seat A1-33.
The Box Seat Dream is a fictional novel written for the middle reader as well as the entire family. The story is about a twelve-year-old Little Leaguer growing up in Yonkers, New York, during the mid -1970s. Jimmy McNeil through a chance of fate obtains an original 1923 Yankee Stadium seat, the one and only seat that survived the historic renovation of modern sports most decorated coliseum. The mystique that surrounds the box seat is enhanced through Jimmy's magical dream visitations to Yankee Stadium. With each visitation, Jimmy and the reader learn life lessons as well as develop new skills in America's most participative amateur sport.
The dream sequences take the reader through different Yankee eras touching down at appropriate times for Jimmy's benefit. Box Seat Al-33, along with Yankee "greats" such as Lou Gehrig coach Jimmy through the skills of hitting, fielding, and sportsmanship.
There are nail biting Little League games that give the reader the sense they are really at the ballpark emotionally cheering for Jimmy and his teammates, as they battle toward the league championship. However, Jimmy's most crucial lessons are learning how to battle the challenges of life off the ball field.
Description from Publisher
If I Were a New York Yankee
By Joe D'Andrea
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
Description from Publisher
The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book
By Dom Forker
In this newly updated edition of The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book, Dom Forker challenges you to test your batting skills on 2,800 questions about anything and everything from the history of your favorite team. Inside the book, you'll find the answers to this and other fast-moving questions: Who was the Yankees' best-winning pitcher in 1988?
Description from Publisher
There's no denying that the New York Yankees hold an important place in the history of baseball. With their roster of legendary players, colorful managers, record-setting performances, and unmatched string of championship seasons, the Yankees are one team few fans feel lukewarm about--they either love 'em or hate 'em. Those damn Yankees are also the one major-league organization to have generated enough statistics to make even the most hard-core trivia buff's head swim, and Dom Forker's The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book sets out to do just that. Do you know which Giant pitcher ended the Yankees' streak of 12 straight victories with his 6-1 win in the opener of the 1936 World Series? Can you name Joe DiMaggio's birthplace? Who batted .300 for four consecutive years after replacing Babe Ruth in right field?
With his almost frightening knowledge of Yankee minutiae, the author must be either a sesquicentenarian with a photographic memory or an insomniac night watchman pulling double shifts at the Cooperstown library. It makes you wonder how he ever found time to actually play baseball. But that's beside the point. The book is put together in a fun, gamelike format, challenging readers to test their skills against an obvious master of Yankee facts. If you happen to know that Earl Wilson threw the pitch that Mickey Mantle hit for his 536th home run, or you just like to annoy people at cocktail parties, then this book is for you. Like the team it sets on a pedestal, The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book is unlikely to elicit a mild response--you'll either love it or you'll hate it.
Description from Amazon.com
A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson
By David A. Adler
When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, there were no other African Americans playing in the major leagues. The thoughtful, brief portrait illuminates the courage and character of an American hero. Appealing watercolors complement the simple text.
Description from Horn Book
A brief look at the life of baseball great Jackie Robinson. The subject's childhood, sporting accomplishments, and later endeavors are touched upon, as are the bigotry and prejudice he faced as the first African American to play in the major leagues. The information is similar to that found in Carol Greene's Jackie Robinson, though Adler's writing is smoother. Casilla's full-and double-page watercolors provide attractive backgrounds for the text. A sound introduction to a significant figure.
Description from School Library Journal
Adler adds another simple, clear picture biography to his growing series as he tells the life story of baseball great, Jackie Robinson. Athletic prowess is only one component of the man. Robinson was also a model for those pursuing their dreams due to his courageous triumphs in the face of racial hatred and prejudice.
Description from Children's Literature
Brooklyn Dodger Days
By Richard Rosenblum
A nostalgic re-creation of the day Buddy and his gang spent at Ebbets Field watching a baseball game between the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers and their longtime rivals, the New York Giants. The cartoonlike illustrations do nothing to recapture the magical experience of seeing the umsin the days they still played in Brooklyn.
Description from Horn Book
Basketball
New York Knicks
By Michael E. Goodman
Enter the slam-dunking, jump-shooting, fast-breaking world of professional basketball presented in our exciting series called NBA Today. Basketball fans have plenty to cheer about with these books: lots of colorful, action-oriented photos, interesting sidebar statistics, spirited quotes from players and coaches, and text that covers the history, dramatic moments, and future directions of all the teams in the NBA.
Whether readers are pulling for the Bulls or the Lakers, the Celtics or the Jazz, the thrilling game of basketball scores big in the NBA Today. And these books are sure to score big with your young readers as well!
Description from Publisher
Teamwork, the New York Liberty in Action
By Thomas S. Owens & Diana Star Helmer
Profiles some of the key players on the New York Liberty professional women's basketball team and describes the team's first year in the WNBA.
The 1997 second-place team teaches students about determination and teamwork. Rebecca Lobo, a player who donates much of her time to charity, shows that giving back to the community is what makes basketball so special to her.
Description from Publisher
Great Sports Teams: The New York Knicks Basketball Team
By Randy Schultz
The New York Knicks are one of the most popular franchises in the NBA. Playing in the fabled Madison Square Garden, the Knicks won two NBA titles in the 1970s and were runners-up twice in the 1990s. Throughout the years the Knicks have featured some of the most exciting players in basketball history, including legends of the past such as Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, and Ear "the Pear" Monroe, as well as today's stars such as Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Marcus Camby.
Career statistics, chapter notes, a glossary, a further reading list, an address for fan mail, Internet addresses, and an index.
Description from Publisher
If I Were a New York Knick
By Joseph C. D'Andrea
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
Description from Publisher
History of the New York Liberty
By Aaron Frisch
New York Silly Basketball Sportsmysteries -- Volume 1
New York Silly Basketball Sportsmysteries -- Volume 2
By Carole Marsh
Great for any sports player or fan; especially popular with reluctant boy readers! Each book features choose-your-own-ending basketball stories using New York teams and locations. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
Description from Publisher
Football
New York Jets
New York Giants
By Julie Nelson & Steve Potts
It was fourth and inches. This play would determine the conference championship. Everyone in the stadium knew the ball would be given to Smith. The question was, could he be stopped ...?
Great moments in the NFL can be the result of many things: a last-second field goal, a long pass, or even a short run. But no matter what the play is, the drama and the excitement of these brief moments quickly come alive for all of the frenzied fans.
For over fifteen years, Creative has been capturing these fantastic moments in our series on the National Football League. Now, in an all-new and completely revised version of your library's most popular books, we have updated the excitement for a new generation of readers. In 30 attractive volumes, Creative has chronicled the excitement and the history of each NFL team. Color photos, lively text and informative sidebars catch the readers' interest in pro football and awaken memories of their favorite plays and most admired players.
From the legends of old to the superstars of today, The NFL Today has it all. So order your books now and once again welcome the NFL to your library.
Description from Publisher
If I Were a New York Giant
By Joe D'Andrea
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
Description from Publisher
New York Silly Football Sportsmysteries -- Volume 1
New York Silly Football Sportsmysteries -- Volume 2
By Carole Marsh
Great for any sports player or fan; especially popular with reluctant boy readers! Features choose-your-own-ending stories using New York football teams and locations. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
Description from Publisher
Hockey
The New York Rangers Hockey Team
By Michael John Sullivan
In 1994, the New York Rangers ended a fifty-four year Stanley Cup drought. Led by captain Mark Messier and young stars like goalie Mike Richter and defenseman Brian Leetch, the Rangers brought the city of New York to a state of euphoria after their seven-game victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Author Michael J. Sullivan brings the reader to the center of the action as he describes the thrills of the 1994 championship season, as well as the near misses of seasons past.
Description from Publisher
New York Rangers
By Mark Everson
New Jersey Devils
By Alex Yannis
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Other Pages of Interest:
Fiction & Historical Fiction:
General Books About New York City (Nonfiction) |
Fiction NYC Picture Books and "Easy Reader" Stories (Ages 4-8) |
Fiction NYC Books (Ages 9-12) |
New York Fiction for Young Adults |
New York Historical Fiction (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) |
New York Historical Fiction (Ellis Island & Immigration) |
New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1800s) |
New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1900s)
NYC History:
New York Biographies |
Native Americans from New York (History and Historical Fiction) |
New York History (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) |
New York History (Immigration and Ellis Island) |
New York History (The 1800s) |
New York History (The 1900s) |
The World Trade Center and September 11, 2001 |
NYC Locations:
The Statue of Liberty |
The Empire State Building |
Central Park |
NYC Art Museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, etc.) |
NYC's American Museum of Natural History |
Harlem Books (Including books about the Harlem Renaissance) |
Chinatown Books |
Little Italy Books |
The New York City Subway System |
Brooklyn Books |
The Bronx Books |
Queens Books |
Staten Island Books |
Long Island Books |
Upstate New York Books |
New York State Books
Life and Travel in NYC:
Thanksgiving in New York City |
Christmas in New York City |
New York Sports Teams and Players
The NYC Fire Department (FDNY) and NY Police Department (NYPD) |
General Books About Cities |
New York City and New York State Test Preparation and Study Guides |
New York Regents Review Books |
Parenting in New York City |
New York Travel Guides for Families with Children
NYC Toys, Puzzles, and Games (For Kids & Adults) |
Amazon.com Coupon Codes
Baseball
Great Sports Teams: The New York Yankees
By John F. Grabowski
No team in professional sports history has been more successful than the New York Yankees. Players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle became legends in a city that demands a winner, and accepts nothing less than a 100 percent effort at all times.
Description from Publisher
Great Sports Teams: The New York Yankees Baseball Team
By David Pietrusza
A team history of the most successful sports franchise of all time focused on its greatest players and their legendary managers.
Description from Publisher
History of the New York Yankees
By Richard Rambeck
Highlights the key personalities and memorable games in the history of the team that has won twenty-two World Series titles and thirty-four American League pennants.
Description from Publisher
"The History of the New York Yankees," like all of the Baseball books in this Creative Education series, is intended to introduce younger fans of today to the past of their favorite team. Of course, when you are talking about the storied history of the New York Yankees, author Richard Rambeck faces a large challenge with this team than with any other. Rambeck tells about the early history of the team, the glory years with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and then the years dominated by the great centerfielders Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. The pace of the narrative slows down a bit once we get to the George Steinbrenner era and Rambeck covers the ups, downs and ups of the Yankees. This book ends early in the 1998 season when David Wells threw a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series the next three seasons and be one inning away from making it four in a row, so more than any other book in this series this one is probably the most outdated given how the Bronx Bombers have been adding to their legacy.
Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
Teammates
By Peter Golenbock
Awards:
- 1990 Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
The moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a major league baseball team and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, PeeWee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate.
Description from Publisher
The event occurred during Jackie Robinson's first season with the Dodgers. Listening to the hatred that spilled out of the stands, Pee Wee Reese left his position at shortstop, walked over to Robinson at first base, put his around Robinson's shoulder, chatted for a few moments, and then returned to his position. The crowd was stunned into silence. Bacon has illustrated the book with an effective blend of photographs and drawings. Golenbock briefly but clearly describes the background of Robinson's entry into the National League, as well as Reese's background as a southerner and as the player with the most to fear if Robinson were successful--both men were shortstops (although Robinson would ultimately play second base). There have been several recent books about Robinson for young readers, such as David Adler's Jackie Robinson: He Was the First and Jim O'Connor's Jackie Robinson and the Story of All-Black Baseball, but none of them have the style or dramatic impact of Golenbock and Bacon's work. This is a wonderful and important story, beautifully presented
Description from School Library Journal
The Babe & I
By David A. Adler
"For my birthday I was hoping my parents would give me a bicycle. They only gave me a dime."
So begins David Adler's inspired tale of the challenges and magic--yes, magic--of a depression-era childhood spent in the Bronx, New York. Disappointed, but not surprised by his present, the young narrator in The Babe & I spends his birthday afternoon wandering neighborhood streets with his best friend Jacob, discussing--as always--the New York Yankees and the world's greatest baseball player, Babe Ruth. The boys may have little in the way of monetary goods, but they do live within walking distance of Yankee stadium. They get a special lift from their proximity to this golden team of graced athletes, even if they can never go inside the gate. On this day, however, the stakes are raised significantly when the narrator discovers a difficult, saddening secret about his father. In response, he decides to join Jacob and become a newspaper boy--a decision that helps his family through these tough years and leads the narrator into the best, most unbelievable encounter of his life--better than any bike or birthday or anything.
Adler's honest, vivid reflection of 1930s life is perfectly complemented by Terry Widener's evocative, earth-toned illustrations. Reminiscent of WPA murals, Widener's images help Adler transport the reader to another time and place in a symbiotic pairing that makes this tender book a true work of art.
Description from Amazon.com
Adler (Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man) sets his fictional story during the week of July 14, 1932, in the Bronx, when the news items that figure in this tale happened. A boy gets a dime for his birthday, instead of the bicycle he longs for, because it is the Great Depression, and everyone who lives in his neighborhood is poor. While helping his friend Jacob sell newspapers, he discovers that his own father, who leaves the house with a briefcase each day, is selling apples on Webster Avenue along with the other unemployed folk. Jacob takes the narrator to Yankee Stadium with the papers, and people don't want to hear about the Coney Island fire or the boy who stole so he could get something to eat in jail. They want to hear about Babe Ruth and his 25th homer. As days pass, the narrator keeps selling papers, until the astonishing day when Ruth himself buys a paper from the boy with a five-dollar bill and tells him to keep the change. The acrylic paintings bask in the glow of a storied time, where even row houses and the elevated train have a warm, solid presence. The stadium and Webster Avenue are monuments of memory rather than reality in a style that echoes Thomas Hart Benton's strong color and exaggerated figures.
Description from Kirkus Review
The team that brought us Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (rev. 7/97) has homered again with this upbeat yet touching story set in 1932 during the Depression. The locale is the Bronx, where the more affluent buy tickets to see the great Babe Ruth perform his magic in Yankee Stadium, but where others, unemployed, sell apples on the sidewalk. The story begins when the young narrator, believing that his father is one of the lucky ones with a job, is disappointed to receive a dime, not the hoped-for bicycle, for his birthday. Later that day, he discovers the truth-that his father is one of the unemployed apple sellers, but ashamed to inform his family. With the help of his friend Jacob, the boy becomes a "newsie" to supplement the family income. He, too, tries to keep his occupation a secret, but when it is revealed, father and son develop a bond of understanding. Meanwhile, tutored by Jacob, the boy becomes proficient at selling papers, selecting the right headlines to entice customers. At Yankee Stadium, the appropriate focus is always the latest news about Babe Ruth-and one day, the Babe himself buys a paper with a five-dollar bill, enabling the two boys to see a real Yankee game. Terry Widener's illustrations are reminiscent of the regional murals of Thomas Hart yet are definitely his own, evoking the ambiance of the period without attempting a slavish imitation. Carefully paced, remarkable for its unified focus, this is the kind of book that makes you want to buy season tickets.
Description from Horn Book
Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man
By David A. Adler
The story of Lou Gehrig, the heroic Yankee who battled with ALS, was inspirational far beyond Yankee Stadium. David Adler's spare biography tells Gehrig's story just as the athlete lived: with unassuming simplicity. It's a wise choice, since the story is so affecting on its own. Another wise choice was Adler's decision to remain vague about the details of Gehrig's illness. The story is no less affecting without them, and probably contains enough sadness for any child. As good as this book is, Terry Widener's illustrations multiply its impact enormously.
[Recommended for ages 5-9. Older siblings will probably be willing to hang around to hear it though.]
Description from Amazon.com
Kids of today may not immediately recognize the name Lou Gehrig, but they will be immediately drawn into this picture book for older children about the "Iron Horse." Adler sets his narrative stage by telling readers that in 1903, Henry Ford sold his first auto, the Wright brothers took their first flight, and Lou Gehrig was born. Young Lou, who never missed a day of school, became a baseball player who never missed a game. Crisply and concisely, Adler covers the many high points of Gehrig's career, at the same time giving readers a real sense of the man and his shining spirit. Gehrig's illness and eventual death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are handled with dignity and in a way youngsters will understand. The picture-book format gets a lift here from Widener's impressive artwork. Reminiscent of WPA art with its rounded shapes and potent energy, these pictures project a zest for life on and off the playing field. The last spread, showing Yankee Stadium on the day of Gehrig's funeral, awash in rain, provides a silent but powerful ending to Gehrig's story.
Description from Booklist
The aw-shucks decency of Gehrig drives this picture-book biography from Adler (One Yellow Daffodil); what comes through is Gehrig as a genuine rarity, blessed with colossal athletic talent that he carried with dignity and modesty. The familiar story (no sources are given, but it follows the Gary Cooper movie, Pride of the Yankees, quite closely) is here: how Gehrig left college and signed with the Yankees to get money for his family; his remarkable, 14-year, 2,130-consecutive-game record; how he benched himself when he started to experience the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; his farewell speech to Yankee fans ("I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth"); his death at age 37 and the rain that fell on his funeral. Adler never overstates the adulation, which would sound hokey on anyone else's shoulders, but fits Gehrig snugly. Newcomer Widener's illustrations capture the texture of Gehrig's city and playing fields, although one spread--of Yankee Stadium in the rain-- brings the book to a premature close (a dangling page of text follows). Readers will feel good after reading this biography--and maybe even inspired to start measuring themselves against Gehrig's standard.
Description from Kirkus Reviews
My Dad's Baseball
By Ron Cohen
The appeal of both '50s nostalgia and baseball will make Cohen's first children's book a hit with Little Leaguers as well as their parents. After a yellowed baseball rolls out of a box in his mother's attic, a man tells his seven-year-old son exactly where it came from. "Some days stay in your mind forever, Max. June 4, 1955, is one of them," he explains. On that day, it develops, the boy's father went with his father and brother to Yankee Stadium to see his very first baseball game. An extended flashback presents the father as a youngster (a diehard Milwaukee Braves fan nonetheless thrilled to watch the likes of Mickey Mantle) attending a game between the Yanks and the Detroit Tigers. The big moment arrives when the boy grabs a ball that Yogi Berra has hit into the stands; when he has it autographed the next day, his Braves cap falls out of his pocket, but Berra lets him know that his allegiance to that team is okay ("You should always be who you are"). When the story returns to the present, the father gives the ball to his delighted son. There are no surprises or unexpected twists, just a thoroughly warm tale, simply told. Effectively grainy pastels ably depict the period and convey the timeless allure of baseball.
Description from Publishers Weekly
Stumbling upon an old, autographed baseball in a box in his mother's attic, a father relates to his seven-year-old son the story of how he got it. The man's first-person account describes his thoughts and feelings when, as a seven-year-old, he went to Yankee Stadium to see his first professional game. He is thrilled with the whole experience, but his day is made when he retrieves a ball hit by Yogi Berra. Arrangements are made to have it signed by Berra the following day, and the great catcher is amused to find out that the boy is really a Braves fan. Cohen's dark, grainy paintings adequately capture the surroundings of the story, but depict the subjects with rather surreal-looking facial expressions. The baseball players mentioned are legends, such as Mays, Mantle, and Mathews, and their names might not be familiar to the intended audience. Adults, on the other hand, might have their own memories sparked by the book's setting and style.
Description from School library Journal
It's become a kind of subgenre--baby boomers writing or illustrating picture books about being young baseball fans in the fifties, usually in New York. The audience is ostensibly the young fans of today, but, in fact, it's other boomers for whom names like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Willie Mays will never lose their romance. You can almost hear the boomers' kids saying, "Oh, Dad, do we have to read that book about old-time baseball "again"? Every now and then, though, one of these nostalgic trips to Yankee Stadium or Ebbets Field turns out to be something more than boomer self-indulgence. First-time children's book author Cohen, a successful artist, avoids the pitfalls of the subgenre by remembering the importance of a story--unadulterated nostalgia isn't enough for an audience that missed the fifties by four decades. It's a simple story, to be sure: rummaging in the attic, Dad finds his old baseball autographed by Yogi Berra and tells his son the story of how he got it--the trip to Yankee Stadium for his first game, the home run that landed in his frightened hands, the meeting with Yogi, the irony of being a Milwaukee Braves fan living in enemy territory. Fortunately, the message, about sticking up for what you believe, is treated gently, the way a fleet outfielder sneaks up on a fly ball and then gathers it in with the softest of hands. Cohen's art is subtle, too, soft-focus paintings dominated by greens and browns (against which Dad's red-and-blue Braves hat stands out all the more), evoking both the hazy romance of memory and the homey comfort of a ballpark. This one's a keeper, for both boomers and their kids.
Description from Booklist
The History of the New York Mets
By Michael E. Goodman
Highlights the personalities and memorable games in the history of the team that began play in New York in 1962.
Description from Publisher
New York Mets
By Chris W. Sehnert
Focuses on key players and events in the history of the New York Mets, from their formation in 1962 through their up and down seasons over the next thirty-plus years.
Description from Publisher
The New York Mets: A Photographic History
By George Kalinsky
From the lens of George Kalinsky comes this lavish look at the history of The New York Mets - from the team's first day on the field in 1962 up to the 1995 season. Over 250 stunning photographs capture the drama of this beloved team. From the diamond to the locker room, pictures of the players, coaches and managers make this photographic journey one that will be turned to fondly time and time again. Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Willie Mays, Mookie Wilson, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Bobby Bonilla and the many, many others who have found their way into the history and lore of the Mets club are recorded here in dramatic style. Kalinsky's masterful photography captures the essence of the Mets that has made this team so colorful and unique. Faithful during the '69 and '86 World Series wins and loyal throughout the struggles of the late '70s and early '80s, the fans are at the heart of the Mets, and that dedication is rewarded here. With stadium shots, Official Score Book covers, Mets memorabilia and more, Kalinsky has fashioned this volume into what is an extraordinary compilation of the baseball experience. Complementing the spectacular photography is a unique oral history of the team, compiled by Sports Illustrated's Jon Scher. From the mouths of the players come the stories of what it is and was really like to play for this fascinating ball club. Perfect for every Mets fan, this wonderful collection is one that will be treasured for many seasons to come.
Description from Publisher
Mike Piazza
By Brant James
Easy reading with short chapters. Interesting biographical information with great photo's.
Description from Amazon.com Customer Review
The Box Seat Dream
By Richard Bosworth
Imagine a young athlete receiving a gift that mysteriously transports him to the greatest sports arena of the second millennium, visiting glorious time periods long before he was born. Experiencing events and seeing individuals he had only heard about through his parents, grandparents, and the media. A gift, that to everyone else in the world is nothing more than sports memorabilia, but to Jimmy McNeil, it is the conduit to his future, only, if he can first unlock the secret of Box Seat A1-33.
The Box Seat Dream is a fictional novel written for the middle reader as well as the entire family. The story is about a twelve-year-old Little Leaguer growing up in Yonkers, New York, during the mid -1970s. Jimmy McNeil through a chance of fate obtains an original 1923 Yankee Stadium seat, the one and only seat that survived the historic renovation of modern sports most decorated coliseum. The mystique that surrounds the box seat is enhanced through Jimmy's magical dream visitations to Yankee Stadium. With each visitation, Jimmy and the reader learn life lessons as well as develop new skills in America's most participative amateur sport.
The dream sequences take the reader through different Yankee eras touching down at appropriate times for Jimmy's benefit. Box Seat Al-33, along with Yankee "greats" such as Lou Gehrig coach Jimmy through the skills of hitting, fielding, and sportsmanship.
There are nail biting Little League games that give the reader the sense they are really at the ballpark emotionally cheering for Jimmy and his teammates, as they battle toward the league championship. However, Jimmy's most crucial lessons are learning how to battle the challenges of life off the ball field.
Description from Publisher
If I Were a New York Yankee
By Joe D'Andrea
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
Description from Publisher
The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book
By Dom Forker
In this newly updated edition of The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book, Dom Forker challenges you to test your batting skills on 2,800 questions about anything and everything from the history of your favorite team. Inside the book, you'll find the answers to this and other fast-moving questions: Who was the Yankees' best-winning pitcher in 1988?
Description from Publisher
There's no denying that the New York Yankees hold an important place in the history of baseball. With their roster of legendary players, colorful managers, record-setting performances, and unmatched string of championship seasons, the Yankees are one team few fans feel lukewarm about--they either love 'em or hate 'em. Those damn Yankees are also the one major-league organization to have generated enough statistics to make even the most hard-core trivia buff's head swim, and Dom Forker's The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book sets out to do just that. Do you know which Giant pitcher ended the Yankees' streak of 12 straight victories with his 6-1 win in the opener of the 1936 World Series? Can you name Joe DiMaggio's birthplace? Who batted .300 for four consecutive years after replacing Babe Ruth in right field?
With his almost frightening knowledge of Yankee minutiae, the author must be either a sesquicentenarian with a photographic memory or an insomniac night watchman pulling double shifts at the Cooperstown library. It makes you wonder how he ever found time to actually play baseball. But that's beside the point. The book is put together in a fun, gamelike format, challenging readers to test their skills against an obvious master of Yankee facts. If you happen to know that Earl Wilson threw the pitch that Mickey Mantle hit for his 536th home run, or you just like to annoy people at cocktail parties, then this book is for you. Like the team it sets on a pedestal, The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book is unlikely to elicit a mild response--you'll either love it or you'll hate it.
Description from Amazon.com
A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson
By David A. Adler
When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, there were no other African Americans playing in the major leagues. The thoughtful, brief portrait illuminates the courage and character of an American hero. Appealing watercolors complement the simple text.
Description from Horn Book
A brief look at the life of baseball great Jackie Robinson. The subject's childhood, sporting accomplishments, and later endeavors are touched upon, as are the bigotry and prejudice he faced as the first African American to play in the major leagues. The information is similar to that found in Carol Greene's Jackie Robinson, though Adler's writing is smoother. Casilla's full-and double-page watercolors provide attractive backgrounds for the text. A sound introduction to a significant figure.
Description from School Library Journal
Adler adds another simple, clear picture biography to his growing series as he tells the life story of baseball great, Jackie Robinson. Athletic prowess is only one component of the man. Robinson was also a model for those pursuing their dreams due to his courageous triumphs in the face of racial hatred and prejudice.
Description from Children's Literature
Brooklyn Dodger Days
By Richard Rosenblum
A nostalgic re-creation of the day Buddy and his gang spent at Ebbets Field watching a baseball game between the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers and their longtime rivals, the New York Giants. The cartoonlike illustrations do nothing to recapture the magical experience of seeing the umsin the days they still played in Brooklyn.
Description from Horn Book
Basketball
New York Knicks
By Michael E. Goodman
Enter the slam-dunking, jump-shooting, fast-breaking world of professional basketball presented in our exciting series called NBA Today. Basketball fans have plenty to cheer about with these books: lots of colorful, action-oriented photos, interesting sidebar statistics, spirited quotes from players and coaches, and text that covers the history, dramatic moments, and future directions of all the teams in the NBA.
Whether readers are pulling for the Bulls or the Lakers, the Celtics or the Jazz, the thrilling game of basketball scores big in the NBA Today. And these books are sure to score big with your young readers as well!
Description from Publisher
Teamwork, the New York Liberty in Action
By Thomas S. Owens & Diana Star Helmer
Profiles some of the key players on the New York Liberty professional women's basketball team and describes the team's first year in the WNBA.
The 1997 second-place team teaches students about determination and teamwork. Rebecca Lobo, a player who donates much of her time to charity, shows that giving back to the community is what makes basketball so special to her.
Description from Publisher
Great Sports Teams: The New York Knicks Basketball Team
By Randy Schultz
The New York Knicks are one of the most popular franchises in the NBA. Playing in the fabled Madison Square Garden, the Knicks won two NBA titles in the 1970s and were runners-up twice in the 1990s. Throughout the years the Knicks have featured some of the most exciting players in basketball history, including legends of the past such as Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, and Ear "the Pear" Monroe, as well as today's stars such as Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Marcus Camby.
Career statistics, chapter notes, a glossary, a further reading list, an address for fan mail, Internet addresses, and an index.
Description from Publisher
If I Were a New York Knick
By Joseph C. D'Andrea
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
Description from Publisher
History of the New York Liberty
By Aaron Frisch
New York Silly Basketball Sportsmysteries -- Volume 1
New York Silly Basketball Sportsmysteries -- Volume 2
By Carole Marsh
Great for any sports player or fan; especially popular with reluctant boy readers! Each book features choose-your-own-ending basketball stories using New York teams and locations. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
Description from Publisher
Football
New York Jets
New York Giants
By Julie Nelson & Steve Potts
It was fourth and inches. This play would determine the conference championship. Everyone in the stadium knew the ball would be given to Smith. The question was, could he be stopped ...?
Great moments in the NFL can be the result of many things: a last-second field goal, a long pass, or even a short run. But no matter what the play is, the drama and the excitement of these brief moments quickly come alive for all of the frenzied fans.
For over fifteen years, Creative has been capturing these fantastic moments in our series on the National Football League. Now, in an all-new and completely revised version of your library's most popular books, we have updated the excitement for a new generation of readers. In 30 attractive volumes, Creative has chronicled the excitement and the history of each NFL team. Color photos, lively text and informative sidebars catch the readers' interest in pro football and awaken memories of their favorite plays and most admired players.
From the legends of old to the superstars of today, The NFL Today has it all. So order your books now and once again welcome the NFL to your library.
Description from Publisher
If I Were a New York Giant
By Joe D'Andrea
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
Description from Publisher
New York Silly Football Sportsmysteries -- Volume 1
New York Silly Football Sportsmysteries -- Volume 2
By Carole Marsh
Great for any sports player or fan; especially popular with reluctant boy readers! Features choose-your-own-ending stories using New York football teams and locations. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
Description from Publisher
Hockey
The New York Rangers Hockey Team
By Michael John Sullivan
In 1994, the New York Rangers ended a fifty-four year Stanley Cup drought. Led by captain Mark Messier and young stars like goalie Mike Richter and defenseman Brian Leetch, the Rangers brought the city of New York to a state of euphoria after their seven-game victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Author Michael J. Sullivan brings the reader to the center of the action as he describes the thrills of the 1994 championship season, as well as the near misses of seasons past.
Description from Publisher
New York Rangers
By Mark Everson
New Jersey Devils
By Alex Yannis
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Baseball |
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Great Sports Teams: The New York Yankees By John F. Grabowski |
No team in professional sports history has been more successful than the New York Yankees. Players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle became legends in a city that demands a winner, and accepts nothing less than a 100 percent effort at all times.
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Great Sports Teams: The New York Yankees Baseball Team By David Pietrusza |
A team history of the most successful sports franchise of all time focused on its greatest players and their legendary managers.
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History of the New York Yankees By Richard Rambeck |
Highlights the key personalities and memorable games in the history of the team that has won twenty-two World Series titles and thirty-four American League pennants.
"The History of the New York Yankees," like all of the Baseball books in this Creative Education series, is intended to introduce younger fans of today to the past of their favorite team. Of course, when you are talking about the storied history of the New York Yankees, author Richard Rambeck faces a large challenge with this team than with any other. Rambeck tells about the early history of the team, the glory years with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and then the years dominated by the great centerfielders Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. The pace of the narrative slows down a bit once we get to the George Steinbrenner era and Rambeck covers the ups, downs and ups of the Yankees. This book ends early in the 1998 season when David Wells threw a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series the next three seasons and be one inning away from making it four in a row, so more than any other book in this series this one is probably the most outdated given how the Bronx Bombers have been adding to their legacy. |
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Teammates By Peter Golenbock |
Awards:
The moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a major league baseball team and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, PeeWee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate.
The event occurred during Jackie Robinson's first season with the Dodgers. Listening to the hatred that spilled out of the stands, Pee Wee Reese left his position at shortstop, walked over to Robinson at first base, put his around Robinson's shoulder, chatted for a few moments, and then returned to his position. The crowd was stunned into silence. Bacon has illustrated the book with an effective blend of photographs and drawings. Golenbock briefly but clearly describes the background of Robinson's entry into the National League, as well as Reese's background as a southerner and as the player with the most to fear if Robinson were successful--both men were shortstops (although Robinson would ultimately play second base). There have been several recent books about Robinson for young readers, such as David Adler's Jackie Robinson: He Was the First and Jim O'Connor's Jackie Robinson and the Story of All-Black Baseball, but none of them have the style or dramatic impact of Golenbock and Bacon's work. This is a wonderful and important story, beautifully presented |
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The Babe & I By David A. Adler |
"For my birthday I was hoping my parents would give me a bicycle. They only gave me a dime."
So begins David Adler's inspired tale of the challenges and magic--yes, magic--of a depression-era childhood spent in the Bronx, New York. Disappointed, but not surprised by his present, the young narrator in The Babe & I spends his birthday afternoon wandering neighborhood streets with his best friend Jacob, discussing--as always--the New York Yankees and the world's greatest baseball player, Babe Ruth. The boys may have little in the way of monetary goods, but they do live within walking distance of Yankee stadium. They get a special lift from their proximity to this golden team of graced athletes, even if they can never go inside the gate. On this day, however, the stakes are raised significantly when the narrator discovers a difficult, saddening secret about his father. In response, he decides to join Jacob and become a newspaper boy--a decision that helps his family through these tough years and leads the narrator into the best, most unbelievable encounter of his life--better than any bike or birthday or anything. Adler's honest, vivid reflection of 1930s life is perfectly complemented by Terry Widener's evocative, earth-toned illustrations. Reminiscent of WPA murals, Widener's images help Adler transport the reader to another time and place in a symbiotic pairing that makes this tender book a true work of art. Adler (Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man) sets his fictional story during the week of July 14, 1932, in the Bronx, when the news items that figure in this tale happened. A boy gets a dime for his birthday, instead of the bicycle he longs for, because it is the Great Depression, and everyone who lives in his neighborhood is poor. While helping his friend Jacob sell newspapers, he discovers that his own father, who leaves the house with a briefcase each day, is selling apples on Webster Avenue along with the other unemployed folk. Jacob takes the narrator to Yankee Stadium with the papers, and people don't want to hear about the Coney Island fire or the boy who stole so he could get something to eat in jail. They want to hear about Babe Ruth and his 25th homer. As days pass, the narrator keeps selling papers, until the astonishing day when Ruth himself buys a paper from the boy with a five-dollar bill and tells him to keep the change. The acrylic paintings bask in the glow of a storied time, where even row houses and the elevated train have a warm, solid presence. The stadium and Webster Avenue are monuments of memory rather than reality in a style that echoes Thomas Hart Benton's strong color and exaggerated figures. The team that brought us Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (rev. 7/97) has homered again with this upbeat yet touching story set in 1932 during the Depression. The locale is the Bronx, where the more affluent buy tickets to see the great Babe Ruth perform his magic in Yankee Stadium, but where others, unemployed, sell apples on the sidewalk. The story begins when the young narrator, believing that his father is one of the lucky ones with a job, is disappointed to receive a dime, not the hoped-for bicycle, for his birthday. Later that day, he discovers the truth-that his father is one of the unemployed apple sellers, but ashamed to inform his family. With the help of his friend Jacob, the boy becomes a "newsie" to supplement the family income. He, too, tries to keep his occupation a secret, but when it is revealed, father and son develop a bond of understanding. Meanwhile, tutored by Jacob, the boy becomes proficient at selling papers, selecting the right headlines to entice customers. At Yankee Stadium, the appropriate focus is always the latest news about Babe Ruth-and one day, the Babe himself buys a paper with a five-dollar bill, enabling the two boys to see a real Yankee game. Terry Widener's illustrations are reminiscent of the regional murals of Thomas Hart yet are definitely his own, evoking the ambiance of the period without attempting a slavish imitation. Carefully paced, remarkable for its unified focus, this is the kind of book that makes you want to buy season tickets. |
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Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man By David A. Adler |
The story of Lou Gehrig, the heroic Yankee who battled with ALS, was inspirational far beyond Yankee Stadium. David Adler's spare biography tells Gehrig's story just as the athlete lived: with unassuming simplicity. It's a wise choice, since the story is so affecting on its own. Another wise choice was Adler's decision to remain vague about the details of Gehrig's illness. The story is no less affecting without them, and probably contains enough sadness for any child. As good as this book is, Terry Widener's illustrations multiply its impact enormously.
[Recommended for ages 5-9. Older siblings will probably be willing to hang around to hear it though.] Kids of today may not immediately recognize the name Lou Gehrig, but they will be immediately drawn into this picture book for older children about the "Iron Horse." Adler sets his narrative stage by telling readers that in 1903, Henry Ford sold his first auto, the Wright brothers took their first flight, and Lou Gehrig was born. Young Lou, who never missed a day of school, became a baseball player who never missed a game. Crisply and concisely, Adler covers the many high points of Gehrig's career, at the same time giving readers a real sense of the man and his shining spirit. Gehrig's illness and eventual death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are handled with dignity and in a way youngsters will understand. The picture-book format gets a lift here from Widener's impressive artwork. Reminiscent of WPA art with its rounded shapes and potent energy, these pictures project a zest for life on and off the playing field. The last spread, showing Yankee Stadium on the day of Gehrig's funeral, awash in rain, provides a silent but powerful ending to Gehrig's story. The aw-shucks decency of Gehrig drives this picture-book biography from Adler (One Yellow Daffodil); what comes through is Gehrig as a genuine rarity, blessed with colossal athletic talent that he carried with dignity and modesty. The familiar story (no sources are given, but it follows the Gary Cooper movie, Pride of the Yankees, quite closely) is here: how Gehrig left college and signed with the Yankees to get money for his family; his remarkable, 14-year, 2,130-consecutive-game record; how he benched himself when he started to experience the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; his farewell speech to Yankee fans ("I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth"); his death at age 37 and the rain that fell on his funeral. Adler never overstates the adulation, which would sound hokey on anyone else's shoulders, but fits Gehrig snugly. Newcomer Widener's illustrations capture the texture of Gehrig's city and playing fields, although one spread--of Yankee Stadium in the rain-- brings the book to a premature close (a dangling page of text follows). Readers will feel good after reading this biography--and maybe even inspired to start measuring themselves against Gehrig's standard. |
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My Dad's Baseball By Ron Cohen |
The appeal of both '50s nostalgia and baseball will make Cohen's first children's book a hit with Little Leaguers as well as their parents. After a yellowed baseball rolls out of a box in his mother's attic, a man tells his seven-year-old son exactly where it came from. "Some days stay in your mind forever, Max. June 4, 1955, is one of them," he explains. On that day, it develops, the boy's father went with his father and brother to Yankee Stadium to see his very first baseball game. An extended flashback presents the father as a youngster (a diehard Milwaukee Braves fan nonetheless thrilled to watch the likes of Mickey Mantle) attending a game between the Yanks and the Detroit Tigers. The big moment arrives when the boy grabs a ball that Yogi Berra has hit into the stands; when he has it autographed the next day, his Braves cap falls out of his pocket, but Berra lets him know that his allegiance to that team is okay ("You should always be who you are"). When the story returns to the present, the father gives the ball to his delighted son. There are no surprises or unexpected twists, just a thoroughly warm tale, simply told. Effectively grainy pastels ably depict the period and convey the timeless allure of baseball.
Stumbling upon an old, autographed baseball in a box in his mother's attic, a father relates to his seven-year-old son the story of how he got it. The man's first-person account describes his thoughts and feelings when, as a seven-year-old, he went to Yankee Stadium to see his first professional game. He is thrilled with the whole experience, but his day is made when he retrieves a ball hit by Yogi Berra. Arrangements are made to have it signed by Berra the following day, and the great catcher is amused to find out that the boy is really a Braves fan. Cohen's dark, grainy paintings adequately capture the surroundings of the story, but depict the subjects with rather surreal-looking facial expressions. The baseball players mentioned are legends, such as Mays, Mantle, and Mathews, and their names might not be familiar to the intended audience. Adults, on the other hand, might have their own memories sparked by the book's setting and style. It's become a kind of subgenre--baby boomers writing or illustrating picture books about being young baseball fans in the fifties, usually in New York. The audience is ostensibly the young fans of today, but, in fact, it's other boomers for whom names like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Willie Mays will never lose their romance. You can almost hear the boomers' kids saying, "Oh, Dad, do we have to read that book about old-time baseball "again"? Every now and then, though, one of these nostalgic trips to Yankee Stadium or Ebbets Field turns out to be something more than boomer self-indulgence. First-time children's book author Cohen, a successful artist, avoids the pitfalls of the subgenre by remembering the importance of a story--unadulterated nostalgia isn't enough for an audience that missed the fifties by four decades. It's a simple story, to be sure: rummaging in the attic, Dad finds his old baseball autographed by Yogi Berra and tells his son the story of how he got it--the trip to Yankee Stadium for his first game, the home run that landed in his frightened hands, the meeting with Yogi, the irony of being a Milwaukee Braves fan living in enemy territory. Fortunately, the message, about sticking up for what you believe, is treated gently, the way a fleet outfielder sneaks up on a fly ball and then gathers it in with the softest of hands. Cohen's art is subtle, too, soft-focus paintings dominated by greens and browns (against which Dad's red-and-blue Braves hat stands out all the more), evoking both the hazy romance of memory and the homey comfort of a ballpark. This one's a keeper, for both boomers and their kids. |
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The History of the New York Mets By Michael E. Goodman |
Highlights the personalities and memorable games in the history of the team that began play in New York in 1962.
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New York Mets By Chris W. Sehnert |
Focuses on key players and events in the history of the New York Mets, from their formation in 1962 through their up and down seasons over the next thirty-plus years.
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The New York Mets: A Photographic History By George Kalinsky |
From the lens of George Kalinsky comes this lavish look at the history of The New York Mets - from the team's first day on the field in 1962 up to the 1995 season. Over 250 stunning photographs capture the drama of this beloved team. From the diamond to the locker room, pictures of the players, coaches and managers make this photographic journey one that will be turned to fondly time and time again. Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Willie Mays, Mookie Wilson, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Bobby Bonilla and the many, many others who have found their way into the history and lore of the Mets club are recorded here in dramatic style. Kalinsky's masterful photography captures the essence of the Mets that has made this team so colorful and unique. Faithful during the '69 and '86 World Series wins and loyal throughout the struggles of the late '70s and early '80s, the fans are at the heart of the Mets, and that dedication is rewarded here. With stadium shots, Official Score Book covers, Mets memorabilia and more, Kalinsky has fashioned this volume into what is an extraordinary compilation of the baseball experience. Complementing the spectacular photography is a unique oral history of the team, compiled by Sports Illustrated's Jon Scher. From the mouths of the players come the stories of what it is and was really like to play for this fascinating ball club. Perfect for every Mets fan, this wonderful collection is one that will be treasured for many seasons to come.
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Mike Piazza By Brant James |
Easy reading with short chapters. Interesting biographical information with great photo's.
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The Box Seat Dream By Richard Bosworth |
Imagine a young athlete receiving a gift that mysteriously transports him to the greatest sports arena of the second millennium, visiting glorious time periods long before he was born. Experiencing events and seeing individuals he had only heard about through his parents, grandparents, and the media. A gift, that to everyone else in the world is nothing more than sports memorabilia, but to Jimmy McNeil, it is the conduit to his future, only, if he can first unlock the secret of Box Seat A1-33.
The Box Seat Dream is a fictional novel written for the middle reader as well as the entire family. The story is about a twelve-year-old Little Leaguer growing up in Yonkers, New York, during the mid -1970s. Jimmy McNeil through a chance of fate obtains an original 1923 Yankee Stadium seat, the one and only seat that survived the historic renovation of modern sports most decorated coliseum. The mystique that surrounds the box seat is enhanced through Jimmy's magical dream visitations to Yankee Stadium. With each visitation, Jimmy and the reader learn life lessons as well as develop new skills in America's most participative amateur sport. The dream sequences take the reader through different Yankee eras touching down at appropriate times for Jimmy's benefit. Box Seat Al-33, along with Yankee "greats" such as Lou Gehrig coach Jimmy through the skills of hitting, fielding, and sportsmanship. There are nail biting Little League games that give the reader the sense they are really at the ballpark emotionally cheering for Jimmy and his teammates, as they battle toward the league championship. However, Jimmy's most crucial lessons are learning how to battle the challenges of life off the ball field. |
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If I Were a New York Yankee By Joe D'Andrea |
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
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The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book By Dom Forker |
In this newly updated edition of The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book, Dom Forker challenges you to test your batting skills on 2,800 questions about anything and everything from the history of your favorite team. Inside the book, you'll find the answers to this and other fast-moving questions: Who was the Yankees' best-winning pitcher in 1988?
There's no denying that the New York Yankees hold an important place in the history of baseball. With their roster of legendary players, colorful managers, record-setting performances, and unmatched string of championship seasons, the Yankees are one team few fans feel lukewarm about--they either love 'em or hate 'em. Those damn Yankees are also the one major-league organization to have generated enough statistics to make even the most hard-core trivia buff's head swim, and Dom Forker's The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book sets out to do just that. Do you know which Giant pitcher ended the Yankees' streak of 12 straight victories with his 6-1 win in the opener of the 1936 World Series? Can you name Joe DiMaggio's birthplace? Who batted .300 for four consecutive years after replacing Babe Ruth in right field? With his almost frightening knowledge of Yankee minutiae, the author must be either a sesquicentenarian with a photographic memory or an insomniac night watchman pulling double shifts at the Cooperstown library. It makes you wonder how he ever found time to actually play baseball. But that's beside the point. The book is put together in a fun, gamelike format, challenging readers to test their skills against an obvious master of Yankee facts. If you happen to know that Earl Wilson threw the pitch that Mickey Mantle hit for his 536th home run, or you just like to annoy people at cocktail parties, then this book is for you. Like the team it sets on a pedestal, The Ultimate Yankee Baseball Quiz Book is unlikely to elicit a mild response--you'll either love it or you'll hate it. |
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A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson By David A. Adler |
When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, there were no other African Americans playing in the major leagues. The thoughtful, brief portrait illuminates the courage and character of an American hero. Appealing watercolors complement the simple text.
A brief look at the life of baseball great Jackie Robinson. The subject's childhood, sporting accomplishments, and later endeavors are touched upon, as are the bigotry and prejudice he faced as the first African American to play in the major leagues. The information is similar to that found in Carol Greene's Jackie Robinson, though Adler's writing is smoother. Casilla's full-and double-page watercolors provide attractive backgrounds for the text. A sound introduction to a significant figure. Adler adds another simple, clear picture biography to his growing series as he tells the life story of baseball great, Jackie Robinson. Athletic prowess is only one component of the man. Robinson was also a model for those pursuing their dreams due to his courageous triumphs in the face of racial hatred and prejudice. |
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Brooklyn Dodger Days By Richard Rosenblum |
A nostalgic re-creation of the day Buddy and his gang spent at Ebbets Field watching a baseball game between the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers and their longtime rivals, the New York Giants. The cartoonlike illustrations do nothing to recapture the magical experience of seeing the umsin the days they still played in Brooklyn.
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Basketball |
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New York Knicks By Michael E. Goodman |
Enter the slam-dunking, jump-shooting, fast-breaking world of professional basketball presented in our exciting series called NBA Today. Basketball fans have plenty to cheer about with these books: lots of colorful, action-oriented photos, interesting sidebar statistics, spirited quotes from players and coaches, and text that covers the history, dramatic moments, and future directions of all the teams in the NBA.
Whether readers are pulling for the Bulls or the Lakers, the Celtics or the Jazz, the thrilling game of basketball scores big in the NBA Today. And these books are sure to score big with your young readers as well! |
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Teamwork, the New York Liberty in Action By Thomas S. Owens & Diana Star Helmer |
Profiles some of the key players on the New York Liberty professional women's basketball team and describes the team's first year in the WNBA.
The 1997 second-place team teaches students about determination and teamwork. Rebecca Lobo, a player who donates much of her time to charity, shows that giving back to the community is what makes basketball so special to her. |
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Great Sports Teams: The New York Knicks Basketball Team By Randy Schultz |
The New York Knicks are one of the most popular franchises in the NBA. Playing in the fabled Madison Square Garden, the Knicks won two NBA titles in the 1970s and were runners-up twice in the 1990s. Throughout the years the Knicks have featured some of the most exciting players in basketball history, including legends of the past such as Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, and Ear "the Pear" Monroe, as well as today's stars such as Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Marcus Camby.
Career statistics, chapter notes, a glossary, a further reading list, an address for fan mail, Internet addresses, and an index. |
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If I Were a New York Knick By Joseph C. D'Andrea |
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
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History of the New York Liberty By Aaron Frisch |
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New York Silly Basketball Sportsmysteries -- Volume 1
New York Silly Basketball Sportsmysteries -- Volume 2 By Carole Marsh |
Great for any sports player or fan; especially popular with reluctant boy readers! Each book features choose-your-own-ending basketball stories using New York teams and locations. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
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Football |
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New York Jets
New York Giants By Julie Nelson & Steve Potts |
It was fourth and inches. This play would determine the conference championship. Everyone in the stadium knew the ball would be given to Smith. The question was, could he be stopped ...?
Great moments in the NFL can be the result of many things: a last-second field goal, a long pass, or even a short run. But no matter what the play is, the drama and the excitement of these brief moments quickly come alive for all of the frenzied fans. For over fifteen years, Creative has been capturing these fantastic moments in our series on the National Football League. Now, in an all-new and completely revised version of your library's most popular books, we have updated the excitement for a new generation of readers. In 30 attractive volumes, Creative has chronicled the excitement and the history of each NFL team. Color photos, lively text and informative sidebars catch the readers' interest in pro football and awaken memories of their favorite plays and most admired players. From the legends of old to the superstars of today, The NFL Today has it all. So order your books now and once again welcome the NFL to your library. |
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If I Were a New York Giant By Joe D'Andrea |
Slip a child's photo into the special frames in the covers and he or she becomes the main character in each unique story. Award-winning Picture Me Books use a simple concept to take kids places they can only "read about" in other books.
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New York Silly Football Sportsmysteries -- Volume 1
New York Silly Football Sportsmysteries -- Volume 2 By Carole Marsh |
Great for any sports player or fan; especially popular with reluctant boy readers! Features choose-your-own-ending stories using New York football teams and locations. Free teacher's guide gives specific suggestions and instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
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Hockey |
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The New York Rangers Hockey Team By Michael John Sullivan |
In 1994, the New York Rangers ended a fifty-four year Stanley Cup drought. Led by captain Mark Messier and young stars like goalie Mike Richter and defenseman Brian Leetch, the Rangers brought the city of New York to a state of euphoria after their seven-game victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Author Michael J. Sullivan brings the reader to the center of the action as he describes the thrills of the 1994 championship season, as well as the near misses of seasons past.
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New York Rangers By Mark Everson |
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New Jersey Devils By Alex Yannis |
Back to "New York City Books for Kids" |