Jonron! (Out of the Ballpark) Book

Antes de que anotara 400 jonrones ...
antes de que lo nombraran jugador más valioso en la Liga Americana ...
antes de que fuera "AROD" para millones de fanáticos ...
era simplemente: Alex.

Un niño que quería jugar béisbol más que nada en el mundo.

La estrella del béisbol Alex Rodríguez se ha inspirado en sus propios recuerdos de infancia para crear este emocionante libro para niños. Es la historia de un chico, Alex, que sabe lo mal que se siente al dar un batazo ante un lanzamiento despiadado, o cuando la pelota le rebota a uno entre las piernas. Alex está decidido a no darse por vencido, ¡aún si eso significa tener que levantarse todos los días antes del amanecer para practicar bateando o aparando antes de ir a la escuela!

Lleno del mismo espíritu de determinación y amor al deporte que colocó a AROD en una clase aparte, ¡Jonrón! es un regalo de este grande del deporte a todos los pequeños jugadores que sueñan con convertirse en estrellas.

Publishers Weekly

New York Yankees third baseman Rodriguez dips into his childhood to field this buoyant tale of a ballplayer with an obvious passion for the game. Though young Alex desperately hopes to play well during the playoff game and make his family proud, the boy repeatedly botches plays ("I think I'm setting a record for errors and strikeouts in the same game"). Yet his team wins and progresses to the championships. The next morning, Alex wakes at dawn to practice (in an extraneous, odd scene, he and a teammate run past their teacher, who is holding her nose, and Alex says to his pal, "If we stink now, wait till after practice this afternoon"). Rodriguez sets up an expected but still satisfying climax: in the bottom of the last inning of the championship game, Alex bats with the bases loaded and, with two strikes, hits a grand slam to win the team's first championship. Morrison's (Jazzy Miz Mozetta) stylized paintings capture the story's energy and his playfully skewed perspectives keep things light. In a concluding note, Rodriguez shares his "recipe for success," which entails working hard on and off the field, staying away from drugs and showing respect for others. Baseball-loving kids will appreciate the message that even future MVPs can have an off day, and young Yankee fans will especially appreciate the photos of Rodriguez's boyhood plus a Topps baseball card with a photo of the young ballplayer (attached to the back endpapers). Ages 4-8. (Feb.)