The Littlest Leaguer – by Syd Hoff (1976)

I stumbled across this little gem of a children’s book at a thrift store. The author’s name was familiar. Syd Hoff had written “Danny And The Dinosaur” and “Sammy The Seal”, plus dozens of other books for young readers. But this story was new to me. So I bought it and took it home to read.

The story is simple, but one that most kids can relate to. The main character, Harold, is the smallest kid on the neighborhood baseball team. He’s not very good at the game, and spends most of his time sitting on the sidelines. His fellow players don’t think he belongs on the team.

Danny And The Dinosaur – by Syd Hoff (1958)

This children’s book is like a happy dream. What kid wouldn’t want to spend a day wandering around town with a friendly dinosaur? Mr. Hoff wrote this story in the late 1950s, but new generations of kids and their families continue to love it.

The main character, Danny, is wandering around a museum, wishing he could see a live dinosaur, when one of the dinosaur models on display talks to him. At first Danny can’t believe his ears – a live dinosaur?! The dinosaur wants to leave the museum and explore the big world outside.