Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon (review)

A Japanese-American boy with family in two countries describes the customs that surround baseball in America and Japan. In America, he’s a fan of the fictional Pigeons and dons his blue team shirt, grabs his pop pop’s hand, and rides off to the stadium in a station wagon; in Japan, he’s decked out in Cicada red and rides with Ji Ji to the game “in a short red bus that turns into a train.” A giant blue foam hand and a giant red plastic horn help him cheer his teams, while hot dogs and peanuts or noodles and edamame fill his belly. The American pitcher throws a 95 mph fastball, while his Japanese counterpart clocks in at 153 kilometers per hour. The seventh-inning stretch features “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” or a team anthem and balloon release. Both outings end with snacks and a hot bath provided back home by his grandmother (“What a wonderful day!”). There’s no pronunciation guide or additional information, but much of the Japanese vocabulary becomes clear in context, and a glossary of baseball and “other fun” words is also included. The chunky font, candy-colored cartoon pictures, and Japanese pop-art style will have plenty of appeal for newly independent readers, and an author’s note adds more comparative detail about game rules and stadiums. Baseball-obsessed primary-schoolers will relish this offbeat addition to the meager beginning-reader sports collection.