The Magic Baseball Cap

Story Synopsis

The wind whirls a magic baseball cap from town to town, bringing special powers to the young players on whom it lands. The cap itself is weather-beaten and worn, carrying stains of mustard and chocolate and dust. But that doesn’t stop it from bringing out the magic in several young baseball players. Great hitting, swift running, fabulous catches and more are bestowed upon cap wearers throughout the story. The reader soon begins to realize that the players who don the cap are actually making their own magic by tapping their self-confidence.

Told in rhyming verse, the story weaves together a variety of educational themes. It takes the reader on a tour of several states, from Maine to Oregon, while following the magic cap’s path as it seeks out youngsters in need of some extra confidence or self-esteem. On its wind-swept quest to find the next deserving player, the magic baseball cap passes by famous landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Gateway Arch in Missouri, and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. A variety of animal helpers also lend a hand to its journey as the cap rides to Florida on a duck’s wing and hitches a ride up the Pacific coast on the fin of a porpoise. Captivating watercolor illustrations bring the story to life with creative perspectives of the ball fields, young players, and famous places passed by the magic cap as it dances through the air on its way to somewhere new.

At the end of the book is a series of memory-evoking questions and light discussion activities that can be used by parents and teachers to extend the message offered in the story. “How Magical Is Your Memory?” provides learning fun by asking readers to recall many of the states and famous places visited as well as events that took place in the story. A discussion activity on self-esteem connects the magical tale with important life lessons on developing a positive self-image through sports.

For all young ball players who often strike out or never seem to make the play, this delightful rhyming journey teaches kids, through baseball, all about the magic of believing in themselves.

Key Book Benefits

1.    Readers receive a life lesson in building self-confidence through a heartwarming story about the challenge and fun of playing baseball.
2.    Value-added supplementary pages at the end of the book offer memory-evoking questions about the story as well as light discussion activities on building self-esteem.
3.    The variety of educational themes woven into this story (i.e., states and famous places visited, animal helpers, self-confidence message, and so on) makes it an excellent fit in both the parent-child and classroom reading environments.

Audience

This book has wide appeal to children of ages 5 to 10.  It has potential to reach the audiences in the general public as well as school and library buyers.  CRM Publishers is marketing this book to the trade, but also to school systems and libraries.

The book is geared toward a second grade vocabulary so it can be read alone by children ages 7 and up. It is also ideal for use during story time, whether it is a parent reading to his or her child or a teacher reading to a class.

Seven years of age is about the time that children start to recognize challenges in playing sports and there starts to be more individual pressure in performing skills. This book provides a timely lesson in overcoming such challenges.


About Co-Author David A. Ham

David Ham is a sales person by day and an aspiring children’s book author by night who has played or coached sports for over three decades. He used to run, hit, catch, and throw all day long. Now that he’s older, it’s much easier to write about sports than to play them! His genuine love of the game is brought to life in this magical children’s story.

Mr. Ham is also the co-author of the award winning book, “Collective Coaching Wisdom for Youth Baseball.” He was born and raised in Rising Sun, Maryland, and currently resides in Ellicott City, Maryland, with his wife and four children. 


About Co-Author Janice B. Sibley

Janice Sibley is a professional consultant by day and an author and publisher by night. She has driven cars full of kids to more sporting events than she can remember! Her twenty plus years of developing instructional materials, along with the happy memories of cheering her kids on from the bleachers, help create a colorful tale that entertains as well as teaches about confidence and self-esteem.

Ms. Sibley is also the co-author of the award winning book, “Collective Coaching Wisdom for Youth Baseball.” Originally from San Diego, California, she currently resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with her husband and three children.


About Illustrator Blair Bostick

Blair Bostick is an architect by day and a children’s book illustrator and writer by night. He loves to create new worlds for children to fall into, using powerful and compelling watercolor images. Unfortunately, he has no background in baseball whatsoever, unless you count that miserable season looking for four-leaf clovers in right field when he was nine. (His true sporting love is soccer — check out what’s hanging on the rear view mirror on the last illustration in the book!)

He works and lives with his wife, three children, three cats and a menagerie of other animals, found and adopted, in Alexandria, Virginia.