Major League Baseball

Gr 3–5—With simplified vocabulary and sentences, these books introduce the basics of each sport, including history, teams, rules of play, and playoffs and championships. Exciting color photos and time lines supplement the short texts. The books' brevity will disappoint most readers, and facts presented without context can be misleading. Under the headline "The First President," Football notes that "Sports star Jim Thorpe was the first president of the league. He was known as 'the greatest athlete in the world.'" While it is true that Thorpe, who was Native American, was named president of the American Professional Football Conference (predecessor to the NFL) shortly after it formed in 1922, he was a figurehead at a time when people of color, including Native American Thorpe, were barred from playing alongside whites in most pro sports. Soccer and Tennis, both with a relatively narrow focus, are somewhat more successful in their presentations.