Home Field

This vivid episode succinctly conveys the love between a father and a son. Matt awakens his father early Saturday morning so they can play baseball together in a nearby field. Dad is patient and enthusiastic, and Matt enjoys just being with him as much as he relishes the game itself. Eventually Matt ``can tell Dad is tired and has almost had enough. But Dad picks up the ball, then pulls down his cap. `One more hit,' he says.'' It's a home run, and the victorious lad joyously rounds the bases (two bare patches of land and a maple tree): this conclusion is a winner in more ways than one. In a narrative both tender and spirited, Spohn reminds readers that families come in all different colors and sizes, portraying Matt as African American and his father as Caucasian. Spohn's trademark artistic style--black dots suggesting a kind of pointillism--conveys warmth without frills, while the book's streamlined design reinforces its deceptive simplicity. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)