The Horn Book Guide

SPORTS

Kelly, David A.

Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud That Changed Baseball

32 pp. | Millbrook | April, 2013 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7613-8092-4 $16.95

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. Every baseball used in a Major League game is broken in by being rubbed with special mud harvested from a secret location--who knew? This fascinating account relates how former player and coach Blackburne found the special mud in the 1930s, realized its usefulness, and started a business from it. Dominguez's expressive paintings have the well-worn look of a broken-in baseball.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin