Encompassing the extraordinary history of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres, this photo-laden narrative underscores significant players, team accomplishments, and noteworthy moments that will stand out in young sports fans’ minds.
Part of the Creative Sports series
Ages 8 - 12
Nonfiction, 32 pages, 2021
ISBN 978-1-64026-317-8
The Creative Company gave us the nearly impeccable “Creative Sports: Veterans,” which is suitable for upper elementary and even middle schoolers—both for free reading and report writing.
–School Library Journal , 04/01/2021
For readers looking to gain a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of their favorite team, this series is almost impeccable. Spanning the history of each team, from creation to present day, Goodman and Whiting provide thorough, well-researched histories that are engaging and informative. The narratives flow naturally, broken up only occasionally by short “Extra Innings” sections highlighting star players and unique moments in the teams’ histories. Particularly interesting tidbits include the so-called “Black Cat Mystery,” a moment in a Mets game where a black cat crawled out of the stands and spooked the Chicago Cubs into a loss. Mentions of mascots and between-inning fanfare, like the Milwaukee Brewers’ homer-celebrating Bernie Brewer and the Washington Nationals’ racing presidents, will intrigue casual readers and delight avid fans, giving them more insight into the creation of these unique characters. VERDICT Overall, this series is a grand slam. Buy ’em all if you can!
–School Library Journal , 04/01/2021