Mickey Mantle: The Commerce Comet

by Jonah Winter, C. F. Payne (Illustrator)

Overview

The ONLY nonfiction picture book about New York Yankee Mickey Mantle, one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
 
From award-winning author Jonah Winter and #1 New York Times bestselling artist C. F. Payne comes this extraordinary picture-book biography that traces Mickey Mantle’s unparalleled baseball career. He could run from home plate to first base in 2.9 seconds. He could hit a ball 540 feet—the longest home run in major league history. He was the greatest switch hitter ever to play the game. And he did it all despite broken bones, pulled muscles, strains, and sprains, from his shoulders to his feet. How did a poor country boy from Commerce, Oklahoma, become one of the greatest and most beloved baseball players of all time? This is the story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101933527
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	02/07/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD810L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jonah Winter has written more than thirty highly acclaimed books for children, including Hillary, a picture-book biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton; Lillian’s Right to Vote, which received four starred reviews; You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?!, which received three starred reviews; You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!, an ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book and a Booklist Top of the List; and You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book. Learn more at jonahwinter.com.
 
C. F. Payne has illustrated more than a dozen picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Mousetronaut by astronaut Mark Kelly, the Texas Bluebonnet winner Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy, written by Phil Bildner, and the New York Times bestsellers The Remarkable Farkle McBride and Micawber, both by John Lithgow. He teaches at the Columbus College of Design. Payne lives with his wife and children in Lebanon, Ohio. Visit him online at CFPayne.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/13/2017
In an engagingly conversational narrative laced with baseball lingo, Winter (You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?!) vividly traces Mickey Mantle’s trajectory from a small child with a bone disease to one of America’s most beloved baseball players. But even with success, he struggled. Winter explains how Mantle, after becoming a Yankee, famously damaged his knee on the field during the World Series (“the moment that would change his life”) but went on to amass numerous records, “though every swing of the bat caused excruciating pain.” Payne’s (Miss Mary Reporting) handsome pencil-and-acrylic artwork blends 1950s naturalism with touches of caricature, while Winter keeps his focus on the man behind the records: “ knew Mickey wasn’t perfect. But they also knew that to watch a guy do what he did, with that body, could take your breath away.” Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

This striking book deserves a wide audience.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“In an engagingly conversational narrative laced with baseball lingo, Winter (You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?!) vividly traces Mickey Mantle’s trajectory from a small child with a bone disease to one of America’s most beloved baseball players. ” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Praise for Jonah Winter's You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!:

“Hand this book to kids unconvinced by Koufax’s mind-boggling numbers, or to the ones who know why they’re so mind boggling to begin with.” —Booklist, Starred

"Not just a home run, this book is a grand slam." —Publishers Weekly, Starred

“This striking book deserves a wide audience.” —School Library Journal, Starred

Praise for Jonah Winter's You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!:

"Magnificent. Winter’s heartfelt, accessible text is infused with immediacy and enthusiasm. Widener’s lush, expressive paintings pull the reader right into the game." —The New York Times Book Review

“Even adults who are indifferent to baseball will likely be so drawn into Mays’s story and Winter’s rousing text that they’ll want to gather up a crowd just to read this one aloud.” —The Bulletin, Starred

“A must-have for baseball fans.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred

“An all-star gem to share with grandparents, parents, children, baseball fans and anyone else.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“The Say Hey Kid had style to spare, and so does this irrepressible book.” —Booklist, Starred

Praise for Jonah Winter's You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?!:

“An entertaining account of Stengel’s career.” —The Wall Street Journal

"A first-rate picture book for baseball fans." —Booklist, Starred

“Highly entertaining." —Publishers Weekly, Starred

"This engaging title will have kids sprinting toward sports biographies to learn more about the many legendary players Stengel played ball with or managed." —School Library Journal, Starred

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2016
Gr 2–5—The cover image of a steely-eyed Mickey Mantle, bat aloft over his shoulder, sets the stage for an intimate look at the Hall of Famer. Mantle (1931–95) shattered records but struggled throughout his life to live up to expectations. ("Where Mickey came from, you had to be strong—tough, too.") Mantle battled childhood injuries and illness, but his father was determined to train him to be a ballplayer. In his teens, Mantle "shot up like Jack's beanstalk" and signed with the Yankees the day he graduated from high school. After a stint in the minors, he arrived in New York along with news of his speed and hitting prowess. He was slated to replace the great Joe DiMaggio ("The torch was being passed. [GULP] Greatness would be expected."). Winter relates the ups and downs of Mantle's career with zest: "Oh, if only, if only, Mickey could have stayed the way he was on that day, forever young, forever healthy, forever limitless in what he could do." Instead, there were slumps and injuries, including the horrific knee injury in the second game of the 1951 World Series. Mantle battled back: "What Mantle had was EMOTION, a FIRE inside that caused him to CRUSH the ball." Payne's mixed-media illustrations convey emotions and character. In one spread, DiMaggio and Mantle pose for photographers: well-mannered DiMaggio a half-step behind Mantle, who smiles shyly, eyes distant. Payne varies perspective to great effect: an image of Mantle's famous "tape-measure home run" zeroes in on the ball at the apex of its flight, with the ballpark far in the distance. VERDICT Highly recommended for school and public libraries, this nuanced look at one of baseball's iconic players has lessons for fans young and old.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

2017-03-02
Mickey Mantle was a gifted, talented white baseball player who was admired and truly loved by his fans.Winter recounts how Mantle grew up in a poor Oklahoma mining community, where his father saw baseball as his son's future. He was named for a ballplayer, drilled in baseball skills, and taught to be a switch-hitter. He overcame a serious bone disease that nearly led to a leg amputation and became an amazing athlete, incredibly fast and powerful. He wanted to be the greatest player ever; he wanted to be perfect. In his first world series with the New York Yankees, he sustained an injury that caused him pain for the rest of his life. But, in spite of the pain, he sent home runs flying out of stadiums and set many records, some still in place. He never felt he lived up to what was expected of him, but to fans, teammates, and even opposing players, he was simply wonderful. Winter tells the story of Mantle's baseball feats and mishaps with obvious affection, using a colloquial voice that helps maintain the icon's humanity. He puts a positive spin on his relationship with his parents and omits many personal difficulties and challenges, though he briefly mentions them in an author's note. Payne's softly drawn acrylic-and-pencil illustrations nicely capture events and emotions. Endpapers show Mickey's No. 7 set in Yankee pinstripes. A loving perspective on a beloved Yankee hero. (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews