The All-Star Team

If I were playing fantasy baseball with books, here's who I'd want on my team. These All-Star picks of mine, I suspect, most people are missing out on. I want these books to stay on the staff picks display not for the usual 30-60 days, but forever--until everyone in the world has enjoyed them! And make no mistake--although these are children's books, I want adults as well as children to have the pleasure they bring, regardless of whether they have a child in their life sharing the experience.

Pitcher: A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. This one has the advantage of a male protagonist--de riguer when recommending to boys. Grandma Dowdel is one character you'll never forget. Follow up with A Year Down Yonder and Fair Weather.

Catcher: Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath. The most unexpected happy ending ever. Follow up with The Trolls.

1st Baseman: A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban. It's never too early for a little girl to be warned about potential cattiness in a playmate. And if, Like Frances, you can give as good as you get, you can still remain friends! Follow up with the other Frances books by Hoban.

2nd Baseman: Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James. A story of imagination, friendship, and ecology. It's a shame, but I betcha haven't even heard of author-illustrator Simon James. And he'll never win a Caldecott, 'cause he's a resident of Britain.

Shortstop: C D B! by William Steig. If you know your ABCs, that's all you need to read these ear-puzzles. Follow up with C D C?

3rd Baseman: In the Town All Year Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner. A rich reading and perusing experience at any age; can even be "read" by those who don't know their ABCs yet.

Right Fielder: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. Okay, so this did win a Newbery Medal. I love it so much, however, that until I find something less well-known to replace it, it's on my list.

Center Fielder: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. Baseball as seen through the eyes of Shirley Temple Wong, a young Chinese immigrant in New York City, 1947.

Left Fielder: Yucka Drucka Droni by Eugenia and Vladimir Radunsky. Even exceeds the zaniness and tongue-twisting of "There's a Gnuthbrush on my toothbrush".

When the Plot Summary Applies to Any Book By That Author

I just finished reading Voices in Summer, my fifteenth or so book by Rosamunde Pilcher (only two more to go!). Like Nicholas Sparks, Rosamunde Pilcher stories are all formed from a predetermined list of setting, character types, and events--not a bad thing, as both authors' success shows.

Here are the required ingredients for any of her charming stories: 1) Cornwall or Scotland, or both. 2) Female orphan at center of story, who has no money worries, and neither does anyone else. 3) Multiple generations, often including bohemians among the younger folks. 4) An impromptu house party at the modest ancestral home. 5) Long-lost relatives and/or childhood friends reunited. 6) Everyone neatly paired off at the story's end.