Best Kids Books About Baseball
I grew up in a baseball family. My brother played baseball. I played softball. My dad coached both. We went to games often growing up, and they are some of my fondest childhood memories. It brings me so much joy to continue that tradition with my own kids. Naturally, we read baseball books before we go to a game. (I was a teacher, after all.) I’ve rounded up some of my favorite baseball books, and I’m sharing them below. I hope the little ones in your life will enjoy reading them as much as mine have!
Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey
This book focuses on the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (the same league featured in the classic movie A League of Their Own). As a side note, my parents had a plaque on the wall in their house that quoted that movie—There’s no crying in baseball. So, it’s no surprise I loved this book. I particularly enjoyed reading this one with my daughters. It is very much a girl power, baseball loving book. Highly recommend! Grab your copy here.
The Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Brother Bear is trying out for the baseball team, and he is feeling the pressure in this book. Will he be any good? Will Sister Bear be better than him? In classic Berenstain Bears fashion, this book explores the daily trials and worries that kids experience all the time. It’s a great way to introduce baseball to kids, especially if they will be trying out for a team themselves.
Grab your copy here.
A Glove of Their Own by Lisa Funari-Willever and Keri Conkling
I found this book at our local library and decided it needed a permanent place on our shelf. Through rhyming text, this book tells the story of a group of kids who love baseball enough to use whatever they can find to make bases and play. It is a heart-warming story about sharing baseball equipment with children in need, and it is inspired by true events. It’s a great read for baseball lovers, and it helps to teach kids about empathy and the importance of giving back to your community.
Grab your copy here.
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
This book tells the story of a young Japanese-American boy living in an internment camp during World War II. As he watches life as he knows it disappear, he begins to see changes in those around him—and no one is changing for the better. That’s when his dad decides they need baseball. As he learns to play the game surrounded by barbed wire fences, the boy realizes he is playing for more than just getting better at the sport— baseball gives him a chance to play for self-respect and dignity.
This book is a great one for older elementary school students, and can lead to great discussions about history, racism, and recognizing the true dignity of others.
Grab your copy here.
