There Goes Ted Williams, written and illustrated by Matt Tavares. Candlewick Press, Random House. 2012. $19.00 ages 8 and up

"He is in heaven. Almost every day, there is a game, and a doubleheader every Sunday. After games, while the other players shower, and get dressed and play cards, Ted Williams grabs a few baseballs and pays a clubhouse kid twenty-five cents to pitch to him. He swings the bat until his hands bleed."

Matt Tavares' newest book concerns one of the baseball's great players. Ted Williams had one goal in mind as a ball player and that was to be 'the greatest hitter who ever lived.' As you can tell from the posted quote above, he worked very hard to make it happen.

His early career was very dramatic:

"Ted Williams is living his dream.
Still only twenty-two years old,
he might already be
the best hitter in baseball.

He hits and hits and hits.
He finishes 1941 with a
batting average of .406,
one of the finest seasons
a ballplayer has ever had."

It takes a boatload of skill and an enormous amount of determination to get to the top in your chosen field. Ted Williams was willing to do what it took; but, there were obstacles. He served in both World War II and in Korea. He worked as hard at his military training as he did at baseball:

"He studies hard.
He learns about navigation,
aerodynamics, and math.
The classes are tough
at preliminary ground school.
Most cadets fail.
Ted Williams makes it all the way
to advanced pilot training.
He learns to fly.
He masters takeoffs, slow rolls, night flying,
inverted spins, and precision landings.
He sets a student gunnery record for aerial fire."

Matt Tavares gives his young readers a story about Ted Williams' baseball and military careers.
Through his free verse text, he regales them with Williams' determination, stamina and unbelievable talent. The impact of the telling is testament to a man who set out to be the best he could be on the playing field and in the air.

The accompanying artwork is filled with incredible detail and obvious admiration for a baseball hero. Ted Williams loved the game of baseball; Matt Tavares takes every opportunity to show that love. In one of my favorite illustrations, Ted had just hit a home run. He sails around the bases, big
grin on his face and tumultuous joy in his heart.  He took great pride in his accomplishments, and he remains the last major league player to hit over .400 in a major league season.

An author's note at the back of the book talks about Ted Williams, the man. Some of the research that Matt did portrays him as 'far from perfect'. In his book, he chooses to focus on Ted's  dedication and determination to the job he set out to do, and the great satisfaction that came from doing it well. A list of stats and a bibliography are also included.