Thursday, December 19, 2013

Miracle Mud by David A. Kelly - ADVISABLE

Kelly, David A.  Miracle Mud  Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez  Millbrook Press, 2013.  $16.95  PICTURE BOOK  Content: G.  

In the 1910’s a man named Lena Blackburne was a baseball player then he became a coach and over his time on the field he recognized a problem with the baseballs.  In an attempt to get the balls to not shine, players would soak them in water which would make them hard to predict and baseballs were a complaint throughout the game.  Blackburne while fishing noticed some special mud next to his favorite fishing hole and took it back to the baseball field to try on the balls.  It worked perfectly and since then baseballs fields have been using his mud for 75 years-it’s the only thing officially allowed on baseballs.  

This is an interesting aspect of the game of baseball that I think few know about.  The pictures are fantastic and the story is short and concise.  The ending of the book has a couple of detailed pages about Lena Blackburne and the mud that made it into the hall of fame.  

EL (K-3)-ADVSIABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

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