Drawing on The Perfect Game, Warren's adult book and exhibit of the same name at New York's American Folk Art Museum (she is curator), this elegant volume may well be irresistible to fans of America's favorite pastime. The authors trace the history of the sport from its beginnings prior to 1900, pausing for a look at "Heroes and Bums" of the early years, through the breaking of race and gender barriers and ending with its current status around the world—but particularly in the U.S. The result is as inspiring as it is entertaining. The lively, informative text discusses the convictions of the game's first promoters ("In 1857... it was decided that baseball must continue to be an amateur game. Money would be its ruination, so the players should never be paid"), the first professional game in 1869 and the "trading" of players three years later. Well-chosen artifacts embellish brief biographies of such icons as Babe Ruth (e.g., a Navajo rug created for the legendary player in the early 1920s) and Jackie Robinson, plus the origins of baseball cards (players' portraits were printed on the cardboard used to stiffen soft cigarette packages—"Fans inhaled, exhaled, and collected their heroes"). Other events appear as occasional timelines at the right side of many spreads (e.g., the first World Series in Boston in 1903). While die-hard fans may wish for more information (who were the teams to play in the 1903 World Series?), this attractive volume, enticingly packaged with a plethora of photographs, memorabilia and often astonishing folk art, will certainly whet appetites. The book's crisp design also hits a home run, making the most of a visual bounty that helps to underscore the sport's tremendous influence on the national psyche. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)
