Henry Aaron's Dream »

MATT TAVARES says of ZACHARY'S BALL, "In this age of Astro Turf and retractable dome stadiums, I wanted to create a story that portrays baseball in a simple, timeless way — a child going to an old-time ball-park with his fielder's mitt, hoping to catch a foul ball or maybe even see his hero hit a home run."

Matt Tavares hits one out of the park with this powerful tale of a kid from the segregated south who would become baseball’s home-run king.

Before he was Hammerin’ Hank, Henry Aaron was a young boy grow ing up in Mobile, Alabama, with what seemed like a foolhardy dream: to be a big-league baseball player. He didn’t have a bat. He didn’t have a ball. And there wasn’t a single black ball player in the major leagues. B ut none of this could stop Henry Aaron. In a captivating biography of Henr y Aaron’s young life – from his sandlot days through his time in the Negro Leagues to the day he played his first spring training game for the Braves – Matt Tavares offers an inspiring homage to one of baseball’s all-time greats.

Children's Literature

His childhood dream was to become a big league baseball player but growing up in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1940s made this all but an impossible dream for Henry Aaron. He did not have a real bat or baseball, or even a baseball diamond on which to play but he improvised. Two events made the dream seem a little more possible. When he was twelve years old, the city opened Carver Park, "the only baseball field in the whole city with a sign that said "Colored Only." When he was thirteen, Jackie Robinson became the first Black ballplayer in Major League Baseball. Tavares presents the odds, the insults, and the threats that Jackie, Henry, and other African American ballplayers had to contend with. He mentions the "n" word twice in this picture book. First, when discussing the racism faced by Robinson and later, the racism faced by Aaron. More than a baseball story, this is the story of how Hank Aaron pursued his dream successfully and became one of Major League Baseball's all-time greats. Tavares gives a nod to those who came before Aaron in the Negro Leagues. Tavares sets the scene even before the title page. Open the book and you see a sign that says, "Whites Only" on a chain-link fence. On the other side of the fence are boys playing baseball. Turn the page and there is a young boy in the back of a red pick-up truck looking longingly at the ballpark. These two pages aptly present what the dream is. Tavares' illustrations, in watercolor, ink, and pencil, show baseball in action. More captivating than that, however, are the facial expressions throughout the book The text is presented down the side of one page, allowing for ample space for the dramatic illustrations. Alert readers will notice that the 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie card has been reproduced on the back cover and inside the book. An "Author's Note" presents further information about Aaron's career and the Beacon of Life Award. His lifetime statistics and a bibliography are included, which will provide further reading for older students. Recommended for middle school and high school social studies classes. There is much here for discussion about American history, as well as setting goals and dreams. This is also a good read aloud for parents and younger children. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo