An energetic tribute to baseball icon Willie Mays dazzles with irresistible enthusiasm. "By all accounts, though, Willie didn't need too many pointers-he was a natural. He was the kid all other kids wanted on their team-the one who ran a little faster, hit a little farther, played a little harder than anyone else." Jonah Winter follows Mays from his childhood in Birmingham to the Negro Leagues at age fifteen to Major League Baseball in the early 1950s, where he was one of the few Black players, acknowledging the racism he faced at every point but focusing on his triumphs. As a child, Willie had wanted to be the next Joe DiMaggio. As an adult, "... he was like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Jo DiMaggio all rolled into one. Heck, even Joe D. had to admit: Willie had the best arm that ever was." Terry Widener's illustrations provide an arresting backdrop to a book that includes text boxes with baseball statistics about Willie and other players on many pages. (Ages 6-9)