Hey Batta Batta Swing ─ The Wild Old Days of Baseball

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE OF BASEBALL IN THIS FUNNY, FASCINATING JOURNEY FROM THE EARLIEST GAMES TO TODAY.

Discover what it was like before there was a pitching mound or players had numbers on their jerseys. Learn how Babe Ruth got his nickname, why Brooklyn's team was called the Dodgers, and what Roger Clemens gave to keep his lucky number 21 when he switched teams. See what clever ways players have found to win -- even ways to cheat! Sprinkled throughout are definitions of baseball's weird and wacky vocabulary, from a meatball to Uncle Charlie.

Find out which player was traded for a bag of prunes, but don't trade this book for anything! Ross MacDonald's lively pictures bring fans close to the action with plenty of mischievous fun in this free-swinging tribute to the boys of summer.

Sally Cook's first book for children was Good Night Pillow Fight, illustrated by Laura Cornell. Ms. Cook is also the co-author, with Gene Stallings, of Another Season, a New York Times bestseller. She lives in New York City.

James Charlton is the publications director for the Society for American Baseball Research, a founding editor of the Pushcart Prize, and a judge of the Casey Award, which is given annually to the best baseball book. He has written numerous books about baseball, and lives in New York City.

Ross MacDonald's illustrations have appeared in many magazines, including the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and Time. He is also the author and illustrator of several children's books, including Another Perfect Day, which was a Publishers Weekly Best Book; Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet, which was a Publishers Weekly Best Book and a Nick Jr. Magazine Best Book; and, most recently, Bad Baby. Mr. MacDonald lives with his family in Connecticut. Visit his website at www.Ross-MacDonald.com.