This title in the Sports Are Fun! series presents about the simplest tutorial on baseball possible t makes it look enjoyable and nonthreatening, which is the whole point. The square book fits well into small hands (good luck with baseball gloves, though) and its pages are dominated by bright, summery shots of happy multicultural children slinging the ball around the diamond. Four short chapters present the need-to-knows: the basic idea ("The team that scores the most runs wins"), the requisite gear, the basic sequence of a pitch-hit-run sequence, and a diagram of the field. The description of play takes up the bulk of the book, and the text is remarkably clear. The decision to use several different kids to illustrate segments of the same play may lead, however, to a bit of confusion. Still, it seems like a bunch of fun. Very basic fun facts ("A baseball game is broken into innings") conclude, along with a glossary.

Using the simplest of texts for new readers, these upbeat but formulaic books give basic and very broad descriptions of the title sports ("Do you like to throw and catch a ball? You can play football!"). Equipment, rules, and terminology are touched on; random "Fun Facts" are appended. Stock photos show kids playing sports. Glos., ind.

NELSON, Robin . Basketball Is Fun! ISBN 978-1-4677-1102-9 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-1744-1 . LC 2012041523. NELSON, Robin . Dance Is Fun! ISBN 978-1-4677-1104-3 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-1745-8 . LC 2012046922. NELSON, Robin . Football Is Fun! ISBN 978-1-4677-1103-6 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-1746-5 . LC 2012037503. NELSON, Robin . Soccer Is Fun! ISBN 978-1-4677-1105-0 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-1747-2 . LC 2012033863. NELSON, Robin . Swimming Is Fun! ISBN 978-1-4677-1106-7 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-1748-9 . LC 2012044594. ea vol: 24p. (First Step Nonfiction: Sports Are Fun! Series). diag. glossary. index. photos. Lerner . 2013. lib. ed. $22.60; ebk. $16.95. K-Gr 2 Clean, crisp design supports the easy-reader format of this set, as does the repetitive, simple texts. The titles' focus, except for Dance , is on team competition; this includes Swimming , which considers its sport solely as a team undertaking and not as an individual activity. Dance briefly introduces ballet, jazz, and tap, and observes, "There are so many ways to dance!" Each book begins with a question. For example, Baseball asks, "Do you like to throw or hit a ball?" The pages go on to describe the aims of each sport and any necessary gear such as a glove, bat, and ball. Color photos of diverse children (including a girl in Football ) illustrate each point and enhance the basic information.