Kindergarten-Grade 4-Baseball fans of many ages will revel in this story. After being booed and jeered by the home crowd during a terrible slump, Boss Swaggert storms off the field never to play baseball again, vowing that someday the sport would be declared illegal. Becoming rich and powerful over the years, he buys up the media and extols the evils of the game. Eventually, having all of America believing him, he has the president arrested for 'Conspiracy to Commit Baseball' for throwing out the first ball of the season, declares himself Chief Executive Officer of America, and outlaws the game. Without baseball, spring never comes and the winter months turn slowly into freezing years. Enter Georgie Radbourn, who inexplicably utters sayings about baseball every time he opens his mouth and ends up on trial before his 10th birthday. This eventually leads to a showdown between him and Swaggert, and a happy ending ensues. Shannon"s dark, somber paintings, somewhat reminiscent of William Joyce"s work, dramatically portray the mood of the story, brightening at the end while illustrating Georgie"s triumph. A home run!-Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc