Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2018 Born in 1902, Moe Berg was one of the few Jewish students at Princeton and one of the few Jewish players in major league baseball. In his spare time, he traveled the world. Increasingly concerned about changes in Europe during the 1930s, he retired from baseball in 1941 and became a spy, parachuting to Yugoslavia and evaluating resistance groups. He also entered Nazi Germany and talked with a leading physicist to determine whether he was close to building an atomic bomb. Berg retired after the war and led a quiet life, reading and attending baseball games. The afterword, illustrated with two photos of Berg as a ballplayer, offers additional information about this somewhat enigmatic man. Written in concise sentences, the narrative moves along at a steady pace. Sustaining its momentum, Cherrington’s simply drawn digital pictures use flat colors with subtle shadows and textures. A couple of illustrations, incorporating elements outside the text, are a little confusing, but most work well. The scene of Berg parachuting is particularly effective. An appealing picture-book biography. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.