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".