The Littlest Leaguer

Of all the players in the little league, Harold was the littlest.

No matter how hard he tries, Harold is no good at baseball. The ground balls always bounce over his head, and his little legs never get him to the pop flies fast enough.

So the only place Coach Lombardi puts him is on the bench. At the plate, every bat feels far too heavy, and fast pitches zoom right past before he can even swing. Game after game, Harold sits and watches his teammates play. When the other players need help, he looks after the bats and brings cold drinks to the dugout, wondering if he will ever grow taller.

His coach even visits his house to tell him about short players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Until one day, during a very important game, Harold gets his big chance to show that being little isn't so bad after all.

• Unlikely Hero: With two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Harold must step up to the plate when first baseman Big Leon twists his foot.
• Teamwork: From Shirley fielding line drives at shortstop to the dugout rallying behind their smallest player, every teammate has a part to play in the championship tie.
• Beginning Readers: Short sentences, repetitive vocabulary, and lively dialogue make this classic sports story accessible for children practicing early literacy skills.
• Also by This Author: Danny and the Dinosaur, Sammy the Seal and Santa's Moose.