An All-Star children's author?

 

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Tonight, the lights will shine brightly in St. Louis for the 80th installment of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. A usual mainstay in the All-Star event, Alex Rodriguez, will not be appearing for the first time since 2000. Perhaps this 11 time All-Star will use his 3-day vacation to work on his next children's book. That's right--you heard correctly. Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankee, is also a children's author. His book, Out of the Ballpark, focuses on the spirit and determination of a boy who wants to play baseball more than anything else in the world.

Rodriguez draws on his own childhood experiences to create this fictional picture book of a little boy named, you guessed it... Alex. The main character wishes to make his ballpark dreams come true, but when he has a playoff game that is less than stellar, Alex becomes determined not to make the same mistakes. So Alex wakes up at 5 a.m. to work on his hitting and fielding before each school day. Through his hard work and determination, young Alex aces a math test and helps his team win the championship game with a grand slam.

The paintings by Morrison are full of energy and put you right in the heart of the action. Also included are photos from A Rod's youth, including his family and friends, proving that this 11th time All-Star was once like many others-- a kid with big dreams. This picture book sends the wonderful message that Rodriguez includes in the back of the book: No matter what your dreams and goals, you can never go wrong if you give them all you've got.

Additional Information:
Author: Alex Rodriguez
Illustrator: Frank Morrison
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0061151947
ISBN-13: 978-0061151941