Announcing: Amanda at Bat

If you follow me on Facebook, you may already know the news. Amanda at Bat made her debut this week. It’s a picture book about a little girl, born in December, on the short side, whose last name is at the end of the alphabet, and who plays on a T-ball team.

Amanda hopes she’ll play but each time the coach announces the batting order something happens that prevents her from having her chance. She  figures out by herself how to solve her problem.

The story has been long in gestation—I think I wrote it at least 10 years ago. It was published in the last issue of an on-line children’s magazine in 2007 and I’ve submitted it to agents and publishers to no avail. It’s been vetted by a children’s book writing workshop and I decided this was my year to launch it.

The illustrations are original paintings by my friend Stella Sormani, an artist and art teacher. I love how she interpreted the text and brought the story to life. Solveig Marina Bang, who designed my other books, once again used her magic to turn a word document into a book.

The educator in me couldn’t resist adding some discussion questions at the end and I tried them out on a couple of the grands this week and received interesting responses!

It’s a story about fairness and solving one’s own problems; suitable for ages 4-8, and perfect for baseball, softball, or t-ball season.

By the way, my friend Gabi didn’t know what T-ball was. It’s essentially baseball modified for youngsters so the ball is batted from a tee, adjusted for height, instead of being pitched.

Please spread the word! It’s an ideal gift for little girls and boys.

And stay tuned—another book, also one I’ve worked on for years, is coming in a few months.