From warm-ups to the season’s end, this collection of fifteen poems explores the subject of baseball from multiple perspectives. Players are represented, from pitcher (“I’m the curve-ball creator”) to hitter (“Our slugger can zing / Each pitch you may hurl. / And one other thing: / Our slugger’s a girl”), and even the baseball itself has a voice (“Stitch it. / Pitch it. / Drive it. / Ditch it. / Pound it. / Ground it. / Bounce it. / Bound it. / … Been there. / Did it”). Whether they play baseball or enjoy the role of spectator, readers can revel in this sports celebration, and perhaps be inspired to create their own ode to the game. (Ages 7–11)

From the first pitch to the last out and all nine innings between, Douglas Florian’s
collection of baseball poems brings wordplay, wit, and laughter to America’s
springtime tradition. Featuring a mean-armed pitcher, a daisy-picking right fielder,
and a lightning-swift base stealer, Poem Runs combines irresistible language and
Florian’s signature child-friendly, bold illustration style in this celebration of the magic
of baseball.