(2) 4-6 Candlewick Biographies series. Present-tense narration lends drama and immediacy to Tavares's all-smiles-and-heroics biography of Boston Red Sox slugger Williams. Watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations depict Williams as large as a double-page spread can hold. The less smiley and heroic side to his character is reserved for an interesting author's note. Originally published as a picture book, this is a smaller-size, reformatted edition. A list of stats is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(2) K-3 Present-tense narrative lends drama and immediacy to Tavares's all-smiles-and-heroics biography of Boston Red Sox slugger Williams. Watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations depict Williams as large as a double-page spread can hold. The less smiley and heroic side to Williams's character is reserved for an interesting author's note. Published in time for Fenway Park's centennial celebrations, this full-of-life biography is a hit. Bib.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(2) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Two baseball records, both set in the 1941 season, have never been broken: Joe DiMaggio hit safely in fifty-six consecutive games and Ted Williams hit for a .406 average. Bildner, in an easy, matter-of-fact prose style, tells the men's stories in alternating sections. Schindler's ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are perfect for this light, affectionate glimpse of baseball history.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles S. Pyle. Bowen's sophisticated text zooms in for a close-up of the Red Sox legend's 1941 season when "the Kid" racked up a whopping .406 batting average. Pyle's Norman Rockwell-esque paintings, though a little stiff, ably convey the era. A handful of black-and-white archival photos and Williams's '41 stats are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) YA Baseball Superstars series. These baseball biographies are unusually sophisticated in their analysis of each player within the context of his time and the state of Major League Baseball. Nuanced discussions of the player's strengths and personal failings round out the portraits. Judicious use of quotations and many photos, sidebars, and stats are included. There are eight other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Baseball Superstars titles: Jackie Robinson, Ichiro Suzuki, Mariano Rivera, Hank Aaron, and Ted Williams.