A young child with reading difficulties discovers that he's not alone…in more ways than one.Newsom, current governor of California, calls on his own childhood experiences with dyslexia in describing how Ben, a White child, is good at baseball but struggles to link letters with sounds to make words. None of the other three children at Ben's table seem to be having such trouble. Emma, a Black girl who's also on Ben's baseball team, is even poring over big chapter books already. At last Ben's embarrassment culminates in a meltdown, which sparks a tearful admission from Emma that she's just pretending to read and a rueful one from their reading teacher, an Asian woman named Ms. Kim, that, well, shehas never been able to hit a baseball. The children offer to coach her and then, having watched her swing again and again until she at last swats a dunker, come to understand that never giving up is the key to success. Thompson's spacious and simple cartoon illustrations depict Ben's other two tablemates with beige skin, and one of them wears a hijab. A lengthy personal note from the lead author offers further encouragement (for all that it's addressed to readers more proficient than the likely audience), and a short list of print and web resources provides leads to more findings and strategies. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Swings well enough to get struggling readers to first base-and perhaps beyond. (Picture book. 7-9)

K-Gr 2 Drawing a parallel between baseball and learning to read, this school story about dyslexia is a home run. Ben (a shaggy, blond-haired boy) is a natural at baseball but when it comes to reading, "it felt like going up against the hardest team in the league, every day." Fortunately for Ben, and three other students of varying skin colors and ethnicities, they have a patient and empathetic reading coach in Ms. Kim. The alphabet and reading drills frustrate Ben and his emotions get the better of him but gentle intervention by Ms. Kim re-centers him so that he can rejoin the class. He learns that Emma, even though she carries around the largest books, only does so because she likes to pretend she can read them. Ben's emotions and the constructive classroom environment are thoughtfully depicted. When the class finds that Ms. Kim likes baseball but has never been able to hit the ball, the tables are turned and Ben finds himself coaching and motivating his teacher as his classmates cheer her on. Realistic illustrations with soft colors dominated by pale blue and green, and expressive characters, depict the supportive environment and the themed connection between reading and baseball well. As the class gathers together outside, the ending sentiment to try hard every day may seem trite but fits well with the twin themes of teamwork and coaching. Newsom, governor of California, provides a note about his own journey with dyslexia. VERDICT Learning of any kind takes perseverance and teamwork; teaming the difficult discussion of dyslexia with reader-friendly baseball will help get this book into the right hands. Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano P.L., TX