Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In a 1930s New Jersey town, one family liked baseball so much that they made their own team. It wasn't that difficult. The Acerras had 16 children 12 of them boys. For 22 years straight, an Acerra played baseball in the local high school. In 1938, the oldest nine formed their own semipro team. With an age range of more than 20 years among the boys, there was always another Acerra coming up. Vernick, who interviewed the surviving members of the family, incorporates their remembrances into this very special exhibition of family loyalty and love of sports. The narrative takes them through their time on the field, the dissolution of the team when six of the guys went off to WWII (and all came home safely), and a team resurgence after the war. With plenty of highs (winning seasons) and a couple of lows (one brother lost an eye when a bunt went bad), the story rolls along easily. Best of all, though, is Salerno's fantastic art. Using a retro style that combines the look of 1950s TV advertising (think Speedy Alka Seltzer) and the exuberance of comic-book art, Salerno's pictures brim with vitality. The author's and illustrator's endnotes provide interesting context for this story of brotherly and baseball love.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"It sounds like a fairy tale: twelve baseball-playing brothers," but it's true. The 12 Acerra brothers from New Jersey played together on a semipro team formed in 1938, each brother with his own talents and style: "Charlie.... was a good player, but a terrible runner." Vernick, who interviewed two of the brothers as part of her research, describes how one brother lost an eye when he was struck by a baseball and how six of the brothers served in WWII. Painted in a bright palette of greens, yellows, and blues, Salerno's mixed-media illustrations, traced and shaded in black crayon, are an immediate attention-getter, the thick, horizontal brushwork contributing to a strong sense of movement. A lively story about family loyalty and love of the game, pulled from the sidelines of baseball history. Ages 4-8. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Here's a fun and true story to start out the baseball season. Vernick relates the history of the Acerra family's 16 children, consisting of 12 boys who formed their own semiprofessional baseball team in Long Branch, NJ, during the 1930s. Their dad was their coach and biggest fan. The team is honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame for being the all-time longest-playing all-brother team in baseball history. The author exhibits good humor by pointing out individual boys' distinguishing characteristics such as Charlie, the slow runner who "hit a ball nearly out of the park, but only made it to second." There is a retro feel to Salerno's illustrations done in black crayon, gouache, watercolor, and pastel, with digital color added. Shades of green, blue, and turquoise augment the outdoor scenes. Readers will laugh out loud as they spot one brother out the bedroom window at night running with toilet paper in hand to their three-seater outhouse. This story sends out positive vibes of a family who sticks together, yet couples the tale with sorrowful times as well. A delight not to miss.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Surprisingly, from the 1860s to the 1940s, there were at least twenty-nine baseball teams made up of brothers playing every position, and the Acerra family from Long Branch, New Jersey, played together longer than any other. The Acerras had sixteen children -- twelve boys to eventually field the teams, and four girls who didn't play ball. (As the third-person narrator explains, "Back then, most people thought sports were just for boys.") The Acerras' high school had an Acerra on the team for twenty-two straight years, and in 1938, the oldest nine boys created their own semi-pro team, coached by their father, and played against other New Jersey teams. When World War II came along, six of the brothers went off to fight, and all came back safely to return to baseball and to raise families. In 1997, the seven Acerra players still living were honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame, with some of their memorabilia displayed "right there in the same museum that honored Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb and Willie Mays." This story of a real American family whose bond was the game is brought to vivid life through illustrations created with black crayon, gouache, watercolor, and pastel. The heavy crayon lines, a digitally enhanced palette alive with blues and greens, and beautifully designed pages capture the feel of this slice of American history. dean schneider(c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book/biography. 5-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
