Joltin' Joe DiMaggio Illustrated by James E. Ransome Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014
STARRED REVIEW…!
* “ ‘Baseball, believe it or not, was once the biggest
sport in America. And it wasn’t just
the biggest sport—it was the biggest thing.’
That’s some terrific context and tone setting for Winter’s readers, many
of whom may view baseball as quaint at best.
Winter (You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!) writes with a casual elegance
that beautifully captures the spirit of an athlete whose signatures were grace
and reticence (‘And the way he said nothing… only made him more
noticeable’). Ransome’s (Knock
Knock) watercolors of DiMaggio’s early years with his immigrant Italian
family in San Francisco look a bit like a Little Rascals short film. But as Joe rises to the pantheon of American
cultural heroes (yes, there’s a nod to his marriage to Marilyn Monroe) Ransome
nails the Yankee Clipper’s majestic nose and magnetic, toothy grin, and the
images grow in imaginative and expressive power. Evoke whatever baseball idioms you
want—grand slam, home run—this book is it, enabling readers to understand both
what made DiMaggio a one-of-a-kind talent and the special hold he had on the
public imagination.” (Publishers
Weekly, starred review)
“The book scores a home run.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Fans and newcomers alike will relish this delightful tribute to the
ballplayer whose life seemed to embody the American dream. Winter and Ransome’s well-crafted book is an
out-of-the-park triumph.” (School
Library Journal)
“Winter has made several notable contributions to the
baseball nonfiction shelf (such as You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!),
and now here’s another on the Yankee Clipper.
With the tone of one enthusiast addressing another, Winter digs back
into DiMaggio’s childhood to provide a remarkably balanced bio. Winter displays keen judgment on what to
include in the text, and what to add in the final notes. Pair this with Mays and perhaps a hot
dog or two for a baseball biography bonanza.”
(Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books)
“As he has done in his previous picture book biographies,
Jonah Winter brings his passion for research and a love of story to his book
about baseball’s Joltin’ Joe.” (Sal’s
Fiction Addiction)
