Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream

This is one children's book that adults will learn from too. This is the story of Marcenia "Toni Stone" Lyle, who grew up to be the first woman to play on a professional men's baseball team. Even now women are banned from the Majors, so it's fascinating to read a story about a young girl who achieved her dream of playing in a major league ballclub. Catching The Moon is an inspiration to anyone, child or adult, who's had a dream that seemed impossible. The text is lively and colorful, and the illustrations match it perfectly. I enjoyed this book as much as my children did.

Tomboy Marcenia wants to play baseball but knows the options for an African-American girl in the 1920's are limited. That doesn't stop her and in the Author's Afterward the reader finds Marcenia's persistence and love of the game prevails over adversity. Children will enjoy the acrylic illustrations which convey the action of the game.

Catching The Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream is the story of a little girl named Marcenia, who dreams of being a professional baseball player. This ambition is most unlikely since Marcenia is a female black child growing up in America in the 1930s. Catching The Moon is a fantastic example of how determination and hard work can make any dream no matter how improbably it seems to come true. This true story of Marcenia Lyle, who really did grow up to be the first woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues, is inspiring not just to children but to anyone who thinks it may be too late to pursue a dream. This book serves as an example to all that anything is possible. It is truly a remarkable story brilliantly told by Crystal Hubbard and wonderfully illustrated by Randy DuBurke.

In the early 1930s, Marcenia Lyle was a young girl who loved baseball and could hit, field, and run better than the best of the boys. When Gabby Street (the baseball manager of the St. Louis Cardinals) came to recruit children for his baseball camp, Marcenia realized that his camp could be her first step from the sand lot to playing baseball with the pros. But Mr. Street didn't allow girls at his camp and Marcenia's parents want her to give up her baseball dreams and act like other girls her age. Dramatically told by Crystal Hubbard and superbly illustrated by Randy DuBurke, Catching The Moon: The Story Of A Young Girl's Baseball Dream is a picturebook for young readers based on the true story of the determination and passion of a young girl who would one day become the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro league. Highly recommended -- especially for school and community libraries of the inner cities.

Every baseball fan, young and old, should read this book to learn about Marcenia Lyle, the determined little girl who grew up to be the first roster member of a men's baseball team. This book is sheer delight from the first page to the last. Crystal Hubbard's text bounces off the page while managing to capture Marcenia's drive to succeed. The story is perfectly told from the point of view of the child, including the words she overhears from her parents, which accurately sums up the obstacles Marcenia faces. I very much enjoyed how Marcenia set her sights as high as the moon and achieved her goal. What makes this book even more powerful is that it's an anecdotal telling of a true story. Catching The Moon gives readers young and old the idea that any dream is within grasp if you're willing to work for it. My children and I adored this book.