Brothers at Bat

Brothers at Bat
Written by Audrey Vernick
Published at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

About the book

The Acerra family had sixteen children, including twelve ball-playing boys. It was the 1930s, and many families had lots of kids. But only one had enough to field a baseball team . . . with three on the bench! The Acerras were the longest-playing all-brother team in baseball history. They loved the game, but more important, they cared for and supported each other and stayed together as a team. Nothing life threw their way could stop them.

Full of action, drama, and excitement, this never-before-told true story is vividly brought to life by Audrey Vernick’s expert storytelling and Steven Salerno’s stunning vintage-style art.

Who is Audrey Vernick?

Audrey Vernick is the author of the picture books Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?, She Loved Baseball, and Brothers at Bat, as well as the novel Water Balloon. She has published short stories for adults and twice received the New Jersey State Council of the Arts' fiction fellowship. She lives with her family in New Jersey.Visit her at www.audreyvernick.com.

Our Thoughts

Have you ever heard of a baseball team made up by all brothers?   No?   Well let me tell you about the Acerra Brothers which are feature in the book Brothers at Bat. Born in a large family the brothers had only one thing in mind – BASEBALL.   They could play all day long…    Through the years of playing baseball against other town teams, going through the war and coming back to baseball after, the Acerras have earned the respect of many baseball fans and recognition from the Baseball Hall of Fame as well.

In Brothers at Bat, you will  read about the story of the Acerra family – well mostly the brothers – and follow them through the years from 1920s to 1997 when they were honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame.    The family had tragedy as well when one of the brothers received a baseball in the eye  and sent out six brothers to the war.   But baseball was always part of their lives.   And even when the family expanded with marriage baseball was still a big part of their activities.

The Acerra Brothers played their last game back in 1952 but they had made history already.   In 1997, they were honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame and family members came from everywhere to attend the ceremony.   And while going back home, their bus broke down and while they waited for another bus to come you could see generations of Acerras playing baseball in the field.   That’s dedication to a game!

Still don’t believe me?   Look at this family picture to see how passionate the boys were about baseball.

Brothers at Bat is a wonderful historical children book that every one will enjoy.   My kids grabbed the book one day and the oldest read it to his younger siblings.   They all loved the story and the colorful vintage art.    I am not a baseball fan per say but this book was interesting to read.   I would highly recommend it to anyone for a reading period with their kids.   It’s always good to learn about history and this book will bring history a reality for your kids.

Brothers at Bat is available everywhere even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Thomas Allen. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.