Children's interest in baseball primed by fascinating stories

Youngsters who get hooked on baseball early in life turn into lifelong fans.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Children who love baseball often turn into lifelong fans. Here are some books to get them hooked early:
"Play Ball!" (Simon & amp; Schuster, $16.95, ages 6-10) by Jorge Posada with Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Raul Colon. ("Si, Puedes," the Spanish edition of the book, is being published simultaneously.)
New York Yankees star Posada writes about the first time a little boy named Jorge batted left-handed. His father made him do it because he said simply being a good hitter as a righty wasn't enough. Soon Jorge was hooked on swinging, even if he was hitting at dry bush at the edge of his lawn instead of a ball. And not long after that he took his first trip to New York City and went to Yankee Stadium. He thought about Mickey Mantle, "the greatest switch-hitter in baseball history."
Then Jorge decided someday he'd make a little baseball history of his own.
"Let's Play Baseball" (Candlewick, $8.99, ages 1-3) by Charles R. Smith Jr. and illustrated by Terry Widener.
Consider this baby's first baseball book. The sturdy-page primer highlights the key words and images of the game. There's a big white ball, a glove and lots of kids having fun.
"Hit the Ball Duck" (Kane/Miller, $15.95, ages 4-6) by Jez Alborough.
Duck actually has no problem hitting the ball but it flies so high it ends up in a tree. Duck and his barnyard friends have a hard time figuring out how to get it down. Of course, the answer is in teamwork.
"Pecorino Plays Ball" (Atheneum, $15.95, ages 4-8) by Alan Madison and illustrated by AnnaLaura Cantone.
Pecorino Sasquatch is known to be a silly boy, and he looks pretty silly on his first day of Little League in a way-too-big uniform. But he gets his moment as a star when he catches the ball in one of those tension-filled all-or-nothing baseball moments.
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Little, Brown, $16.99, ages 3-6) by Jim Burke.
This book offers the backstory of the song-turned-anthem "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by Jack Norwith.
The year was 1908 and the New York Giants were playing the Chicago Cubs at Central Park. Entertainer Norwith was riding the subway, passing the Giants' baseball field. He found inspiration in a poster: "Base Ball Today -- Polo Grounds."
He'd never been to a game but he tapped into fans' excitement with the now-famous lyrics that popped into his head.
The book is sprinkled with baseball folklore and facts, and both the words and sheet music to the song.