Lessons Of Love

Children’s book reviews by Tacoma writer Rebecca Young appear monthly on the Families page.

“Down the Road” by Alice Schertle - We recently moved into a house half a block away from a grocery store. My 10-year-old daughter is, for the first time, allowed to go to the store for me. When you’re grown up, a trip to the grocery store is a chore. But running an errand alone is a thrilling experience for children, especially in these nervous times when their freedom is so constricted. “Down the Road” is the tender story of the first taste of freedom and responsibility of a child from a small town.

One afternoon Mama says, “Mr. Birdie’s speckled hens are laying. Wouldn’t fresh eggs be nice for tomorrow’s breakfast?” But Mama doesn’t have time to go; nor does Papa. Hetty, who must be around 7 or 8, volunteers. “Look at this big girl,” said Papa. “Hetty can do it, Mama. Absolutely.” Hetty has walked the long, dusty road to town many times, but never by herself. She makes up songs, swings her basket, balances it atop her head, and crosses a stream to get to town.

Mr. Birdie puts 12 big brown eggs into a basket and after remembering to say “thank you,” Hetty heads back, doing her smooth walk so those beautiful eggs won’t crack. Young listeners will gasp, as Hetty stumbles on a rock. No cracked eggs. This time.

But an apple tree loaded with juicy fruit proves a disastrous temptation. Hetty stretches high to get an apple for Mama, one for herself, and last, a “big, red, Papa-size apple.” She reaches so high that the egg basket tips and all of the eggs go splat onto the ground. Hetty wants to cry. She does not want to tell Papa and Mama. She climbs the tree and sits, worrying about going home.

This is another universal experience of childhood: Small mistakes loom huge. It would be nice if it were also a universal experience to have parents as loving as Hetty’s.

By the end of the story, they’re both sitting in the tree with her, offering comfort rather than a scolding. And guess what’s for breakfast the next morning? Apple pie.

E.B. Lewis’ light-splashed watercolors are a lovely complement to a lovely story. (Harcourt Brace & Co., ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $16.)

“When Willard Met Babe Ruth” by Donald Hall - This long storybook (or short chapter book) might prove more interesting to parents than their children. But nonetheless, it is interesting.

It’s July 4, 1917, in New Hampshire, and, like every July 4, there is a baseball game between the single men and the married men. Willard Babson, age 12, watches his dad, Sheridan, pitch left-handed and beat the single men, 14 to 10. In the Post, Willard and his dad read about the Boston Braves (who are having a terrible season) and the Red Sox, who boast the best young pitcher in baseball: Babe Ruth.

Life on the farm goes on, spiced by baseball. The hay is in. Willard is back in school. One day, as he and Sheridan are driving the sheep in from the pasture, a noisy automobile roars down the road, slams on the brakes to avoid the sheep, and slides sideways into the ditch. In the car are Babe Ruth and his pretty young wife. Sheridan helps them out of the ditch, and Ruth gives Willard his glove in thanks. This begins a years-long acquaintanceship.

Willard meets Ruth again at a game, and now he has an autographed ball to go with his glove. After a time, Willard pitches for the single men on July 4; then a few years later, the married men. He writes a baseball column for the local paper, has a red-headed daughter who he teaches to love baseball. On her 10th birthday, she meets Babe Ruth and he hits her a home run as a birthday present in one of the last good games of his career.

This is a wonderfully written book. Hall is a renowned poet whose other children’s books include “Lucy’s Christmas” and “Ox-Cart Man,” which won a Caldecott Medal. Barry Moser’s watercolor illustrations are elegant. A nice gift for a baseball fan. (Harcourt Brace & Co., ages 8 and up, 48 pgs., $16.)

“Batboy: An Inside Look at Spring Training” by Joan Anderson - This well-done photo essay is a behind-the-scenes look at baseball from a batboy’s point of view.

Thirteen-year-old Kenny Garibaldi works for the San Francisco Giants during spring training. Being a batboy is considered training for a career in baseball. Kenny is a good ball player and a good student. Being a batboy is fascinating and hard work. The book follows Kenny through a 14-hour day that includes practice and a double-header (his pay for the day is $25). He scrapes shoes, carts piles of laundry, gets the players’ lockers ready and opens packs of gum. In return he learns about professional baseball from the inside.

Many players treat batboys like younger brothers. Rookie pitcher and one-time batboy Fred Costello plays cards with Kenny during down time. “‘Batboys help relieve tension,’ says Costello. ‘I look at them and remember when I was a kid. They remind me of what the game is all about.”’ This book is attractively laid out and wonderfully photographed by Matthew Cavanaugh. It will be of great interest to young baseball aficionados. (Lodestar Books, ages 6 and up, 48 pgs., $15.99.)

“SNAP!” by Marcia Vaughan - “It was a sun-hot, sky-dry day as Joey and Mama Roo stopped to drink … ‘Mother, Mother, what do you say?’ said Joey. ‘Do you know any games to play? I’ve been sitting in this pouch all day.”’

Mama’s too hot to play, so Joey goes off looking for friends who know some good games. Twister, the bush mouse, teaches him “hide-and-squeak.” Twister and Joey learn “lots of knots” from Slider the Snake. Flatso, the Platypus, teaches the trio “pass-the-mudpie.” It’s a day packed with fun, until the ever-growing group asks Sly-tooth the Crocodile for a game. His game is called “SNAP!” and it’s not much fun.

Five frightened friends sit inside Sly-tooth’s mouth, until Joey comes up with the best game of all: “tickle the tonsils.” Suddenly, Sly-tooth felt “a wiggling-jiggling, twittering-jittering, rollicking-frolicking, reeling-feeling …” You can guess the rest.

This rhythmic, repetitive tale is a delight to read aloud. I challenge you to do it without tapping your toes.

Vaughan lives on Vashon Island in Puget Sound. Her other wonderful books include “Whistling Dixie,” a funny tall tale set in the South and illustrated by Barry Moser (HarperCollins).

“SNAP!” is illustrated by Australian Sascha Hutchinson with colorful torn-paper collages that complement the lively text. There’s an “animal glossary” at the end. (Scholastic, ages 4 and up, 32 pgs., $14.95.)

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