The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues, Matt Tavares

Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues

Matt Tavares

Nominee:Alabama Camellia Award -Nonfiction (Grades 4-5) (2016)
Honor Book:Orbis Pictus Award -Children's Nonfiction (2016)
The love between brothers is key to Matt Tavares's tale of Dominican pitcher Pedro Martínez, from his days of throwing rocks at mangoes to his years as a major-league star.

Before Pedro Martínez pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship, before he was named to the All-Star team eight times, before he won the Cy Young three times, he was a kid from a place called Manoguayabo in the Dominican Republic. Pedro loved baseball more than anything, and his older brother Ramon was the best pitcher he'd ever seen. He'd dream of the day he and his brother could play together in the major leagues--and here, Matt Tavares tells the story of how that dream came true. In a fitting homage to a modern day baseball star, the acclaimed author-illustrator examines both Pedro Martínez's improbable rise to the top of his game and the power that comes from the deep bond between brothers.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
  • Publish Date: Feb 10th, 2015
  • Pages: 40
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 12.00in - 10.10in - 0.40in - 1.30lb
  • EAN: 9780763668242
  • Recommended age: 08-12
  • Categories: Sports & Recreation - Baseball & SoftballBiography & Autobiography - Sports & RecreationFamily - Siblings

More books to explore

Book Cover for: Hey Batta Batta Swing!: The Wild Old Days of Baseball, Sally Cook
Book Cover for: The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner, Kwame Alexander
Book Cover for: The Crossover Graphic Novel: A Graphic Novel, Kwame Alexander
Book Cover for: The Crossover Graphic Novel: A Graphic Novel, Kwame Alexander
Book Cover for: Beyond the Game: Maya Moore, Andrew Maraniss
Book Cover for: Beyond the Game: Maya Moore, Andrew Maraniss
Book Cover for: Barbed Wire Baseball: How One Man Brought Hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII, Marissa Moss
Book Cover for: Baseball Genius, Tim Green
Book Cover for: Pitching for the Stars: My Seasons Across the Color Line, Jerry Craft
Book Cover for: Yogi: The Life, Loves, and Language of Baseball Legend Yogi Berra, Barb Rosenstock
Book Cover for: Painting the Game, Patricia MacLachlan
Book Cover for: Michael's Golden Rules, Deloris Jordan
Book Cover for: Grand Slam: Baseball Genius 3, Tim Green
Book Cover for: Grand Slam: Baseball Genius 3, Tim Green
Book Cover for: Best of the Best, Tim Green

About the Author

Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of Henry Aaron's Dream, There Goes Ted Williams, and Becoming Babe Ruth as well as Zachary's Ball, Oliver's Game, and Mudball. He is also the illustrator of Doreen Rappaport's Lady Liberty and Alicia Potter's Jubilee!, among others. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.

More books by Matt Tavares

Book Cover for: Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Hoops: A Graphic Novel, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Red and Lulu, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Dasher and the Polar Bear, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Becoming Babe Ruth: Candlewick Biographies, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Centella, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Dasher Gift Set, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Growing Up Pedro: Candlewick Biographies: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Mudball, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Crossing Niagara: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Zachary's Ball, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Henry Aaron's Dream: Candlewick Biographies, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Crossing Niagara: Candlewick Biographies: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin, Matt Tavares
Book Cover for: Becoming Babe Ruth, Matt Tavares

Praise for this book

Tavares masterfully depicts, with quick verse and beautiful illustrations, the world in which the two siblings came of age.... This is a strong overview of a remarkable athlete. Martinez's unbelievable statistics are included at the end of the book. A wonderful introduction to a truly special player.
--School Library Journal (starred review)

Tavares highlights their warm filial relationship, inviting readers to understand how Ramón is challenged by loneliness in America, mostly because his lack of English prevents him from communicating. ... The gouache and watercolor paintings lovingly depict both players, from boyhood to adulthood. Tavares captures some of the iconic images of Pedro: pitching with intensity, goofing off in the bullpen, and even being taped to a pole by his teammates as a prank.
--Horn Book

Tavares' latest baseball profile, featuring Pedro Martínez, is as much an homage to the love between brothers as it is a biography.... Concluding stats top off this winning title.
--Booklist

Tavares's luminous paintings pair with accessible prose arranged into verselike passages to create a vivid portrait of two contemporary athletes.
--Publishers Weekly

Watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations depict the emotional fervor of the action.... A warm portrait of a modern baseball icon.
--Kirkus Reviews

Fraternal mentoring and emulation forms a cohesive theme throughout.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Detailed illustrations support the text through attractive landscaped scenes. The facial expressions of the characters are especially telling and remarkable.
--School Library Connection

The story of how Pedro Martinez came to achieve that status is inspiring, and author/illustrator Matt Tavares captures it perfectly for younger readers.
--from Kendal Rautzhan

The beautiful illustrations complement the narrative and the selection would partner well with other biographies about baseball players, including those by Matt Tavares: Henry Aaron's Dream and There Goes Ted Williams.
--Literacy Daily