Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2015 Tavares’ latest baseball profile, featuring Pedro Martínez, is as much an homage to the love between brothers as it is a biography. Watching his older brother, Ramón, pitch in their village of Manoguayabo, in the Dominican Republic, is just the beginning of young Pedro’s admiration. As Ramón teaches him how to throw rocks at the mangos in the trees—but only the ripe ones—and starts training with the Dodgers’ Dominican baseball academy, Pedro follows every bit of his big brother’s advice. In time, Pedro catches the attention of the Dodger scouts himself, but he almost misses the opportunity because of his smaller stature. Expressive watercolor-and-gouache illustrations help depict the next two decades, as Pedro first joins Ramón in the major leagues and then is traded to the Expos, where he finally stands out as a starting pitcher in his own right. Despite the awards and accolades over the years, Pedro never loses sight of his humble background or gratitude for his brother’s talent and teaching. Concluding stats top off this winning title. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2015 Gr 2–4—Tavares is no stranger to the baseball picture book biography genre. He has several examples under his belt: There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived (2012) and Becoming Babe Ruth (2013, both Candlewick). With his latest, Tavares looks to a more recent time and player, Cy Young Award winner and World Series champion Pedro Martinez. Tavares begins in the Dominican Republic in 1981, where Martinez witnessed his older brother Ramon's rise to stardom. Tavares masterfully depicts, with quick verse and beautiful illustrations, the world in which the two siblings came of age. Though he was considered too small to make it as a pitcher in the major leagues, his persistence eventually paid off and he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and moved to the United States. Martinez journeyed to America, facing challenges as he adapted to a new language and culture. After describing of the athlete's major league triumphs with several teams, Tavares leads readers back to the mango groves of the Dominican Republic, where Martinez developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball history. It is somewhat vexing that there is no mention of how in 2004, with Martinez, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years; however, this is a strong overview of a remarkable athlete. Martinez's unbelievable statistics are included at the end of the book. VERDICT A wonderful introduction to a truly special player.—Keith Klang, Port Washington Public Library, NY - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2015 This picture-book bio of Dominican pitcher Pedro Martínez arrives just in time to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction. As he did in Becoming Babe Ruth (BCCB 2/13), Tavares focuses on his subject’s early years, here starting from Pedro’s boyhood adulation of older brother Ramón, who proceeded him to America and major league baseball, to his training at the Dodgers’ academy in the Dominican Republic and move onto their farm team, and ultimately to professional play for the Dodgers (with his brother) and his 1999 record-breaking season with the Red Sox. Although this is definitely Pedro’s story, Ramón is never far from sight, and fraternal mentoring and emulation forms a cohesive theme throughout. Liberally mixed with the expected action shots and photorealistic close-ups are scenes of the Martínezes’ homeland, particularly appropriate here considering the philanthropy and familial ties that bound Pedro close to the Dominican Republic throughout his career and into retirement. An author’s note remarks on Pedro’s role in the 2004 Red Sox World Series win and Tavares’ role in Pedro’s fandom. A bibliography and stats chart are also included. EB - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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