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You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! (by Jonah Winter)

common sense media says

A must for any baseball fan.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there's nothing offensive about this inspiring baseball biography.

Positive messages: Koufax worked hard to meet his goal, and didn't let setbacks hold him back.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about anti-Semitism and its presence in professional sports during Koufax's reign. They can also talk about what it takes to be great in sports. Is talent enough? Can kids think of other sports legends who struggled at the beginning? They can also look up the other baseball players mentioned throughout the book.

What's the story?

What's the story?

Sandy Koufax was one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in professional baseball but even die-hard fans might have missed him. This book introduces kids to Koufax's career from his start with the Dodgers as a rookie with a fast arm to his tenure as the pitcher no one could beat -- not even Mickey Mantle. Along the way the author shares tidbits of baseball history through tossed-off anecdotes and embedded charts.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Koufax's story is inspiring, and the author relates it easily using a friendly, colloquial voice ostensibly belonging to one of Koufax's unnamed teammates. The tone makes it a fun read aloud for parents and the picture book format gives even reluctant readers an easy way to get a lot of baseball history and stick-to-it inspiration in one sitting.

But what really makes this book a knock-out are the highly stylized illustrations. Detailed with gold foil, the pictures manage to look modern while capturing the retro mood of the story. The heavy shadowing accurately imparts the drama of Koufax's story and the smooth swirl of graphite curves helps create movement that's appropriate for a sports story.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Jonah Winter
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: February 24, 2009
Number of pages: 40
Hardcover price: $17.99
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 12

This review was written by Dawn Friedman
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

Jamie and James
parent of 6 and 8 year old
 
Young kids HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?
This is an inspiring book, even though my children do not yet understand it. My son is a left-hand pitcher on his little league, and I know this will be motivating for him when he gets older.


kid, 12 years old
 
never for kids: 7 and under iffy for kids: 8-13 appropriate for kids: 13 and over


teen, 14 years old
 
never for kids: 7 and under iffy for kids: 8-13 appropriate for kids: 13 and over


kid, 11 years old
 
never for kids: 7 and under iffy for kids: 8-13 appropriate for kids: 13 and over

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