The Kid from Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton

by Audrey Vernick (Author) Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

The Kid from Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Audrey Vernick and Steven Salerno have again collaborated to bring us a captivating picture book about a compelling but little-known piece of baseball history.

Beginning in 1922, when Edith Houghton was only ten years old, she tried out for a women's professional baseball team, the Philadelphia Bobbies. Though she was the smallest on the field, soon reporters were talking about "The Kid" and her incredible skill, and crowds were packing the stands to see her play. Her story reminds us that baseball has never been about just men and boys. Baseball is also about talented girls willing to work hard to play any way they can.

Select format:
Hardcover
$17.99

None

An engaging story that reminds readers that "baseball isn't just numbers and statistics, men and boys. Baseball is also ten-year-old girls, marching across a city to try out for a team intended for players twice their age.

ALA/Booklist

This timely message about playing simply for the love of the game, as opposed to personal glory or celebrity, comes through loud and clear.

Kirkus

A forgotten star shines anew.

Publishers Weekly

The team behind Brothers at Bat (2012) returns with another exuberant story drawn from baseball history. As a child in the 1920s, Edith Houghton wouldn't let the fact that she was 10 keep her from trying out for the all-female Philadelphia Bobbies: "Edith was so good she made the team. Edith was so good she was named starting shortstop." At 13, Houghton traveled with the Bobbies to Japan, where they held their own against male, college-level teams. Choice quotations from Houghton bring her personality and love of baseball to vivid life, while Salerno's mixed-media artwork channels the footloose energy of the Jazz Age, especially during the Bobbies' trans-Pacific trip, as the players jitterbug in the ocean liner's ballroom and practice on its deck "under a sky of endless blue." Ages 4-7. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3—Vernick provides another entertaining and informative introduction to a little-known baseball legend. Edith Houghton, born in 1912 in Philadelphia, became a female baseball player at the age of 10. Playing with women who were older than herself, she traveled as far as Japan. Later, she became the first woman hired as a scout for a professional baseball team. While the story itself is fascinating, Vernick excels at highlighting the more noteworthy aspects of the athlete's life with her attention to detail. When describing the team's sea voyage to Japan, she points out the fun the teammates had dancing and socializing, once they overcame their seasickness. However, the heart of the story is Houghton's recollections of her youthful experiences. Appended is a postscript of Houghton's later life along with photographs—a satisfying touch. Created from charcoal ink and gouache, the colorful and lively illustrations complement the text. Especially well done is Salerno's occasional use of the contrast between sepia and color tones, which accentuates the more important aspects of the page. This book should especially appeal to those who enjoyed Vernick and Salerno's Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team (Clarion, 2012). VERDICT The compelling story and energetic illustrations make this an excellent addition.—Margaret Nunes, Gwinnett County Public Library, GA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

2017 ILA-CBC Children's Choice List

"Salerno's mixed-media illustrations are a lively amalgam of action and scenic panorama..."
-Bulletin
 

Audrey Vernick

Audrey Vernick is the author of several picture books as well as the middle grade novel Water Balloon. She lives in Ocean, New Jersey. Please visit her at www.audreyvernick.com.

Steven Salerno has illustrated many picture books, several of which he wrote. This is his first about baseball. He lives in New York City. Visit him at www.stevensalerno.com.

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780544611634
Lexile Measure
880
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
March 20, 2016
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF025210 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | United States/20th Century
JNF054010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Sports & Recreation | Baseball & Softball
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF023000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Girls & Women
JNF007100 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Sports & Recreation
Library of Congress categories
United States
Baseball players
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiograp
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States
Women baseball players
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Girls & Women
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Sports & Recreation / B
Houghton, Edith
ILA-CBC Children's Choice
2017

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!