Growing Up Pedro

In his latest picture-book tribute to a baseball great, Tavares traces the career of Pedro Martínez, beginning with his childhood in the Dominican Republic, where he idolized his older brother, Ramón. After Ramón was drafted to play with the Dodgers, Pedro joined the team soon after. Tavares emphasizes how the brothers’ careers often ran in concert—both eventually played for the Red Sox and found time to celebrate their team’s success back on their childhood turf. Tavares’s luminous paintings pair with accessible prose arranged into verselike passages to create a vivid portrait of two contemporary athletes. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Feb.)