About this item
"Zachary's Ball is a children's classic." -Peter Gammons, hall-of-Fame baseball reporterWhen Zachary's father catches a foul ball at Fenway Park and gives it to him, something really amazing happens. Zachary finds himself on the pitcher's mound, wearing a Red Sox uniform and playing against New York! As long as Zachary has the ball, all his baseball fantasies seem to come true. But can he hold on to its magic? Zachary's Ball, Matt Tavares's debut picture book, is a perfect story for celebrating the 100th birthday of the setting that inspired it: Boston's Fenway Park, the oldest park still in use by a major-league club - and one of the country's most beloved ballparks.
About the Author
Matt Tavares was born in Boston, and grew up surrounded by books and reading. From the time he was very young, his mother read to him every night, and his family made countless trips to the public library. Years later, as a studio art major at Bates College, he rediscovered his love for picture books, and decided to try to make his own. For his senior thesis project, Matt wrote and illustrated a story called Sebastian's Ball, which eventually became Zachary's Ball, Matt's first published picture book. Zachary's Ball went on to win a Massachusetts Book Award Honor, and was named one of Yankee Magazine's 40 Classic New England Children's Books. Since then, Matt has published eighteen more books and has won several awards, including three Parents' Choice Gold Awards, an Orbis Pictus Honor, and two ALA Notable books. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration, the Brandywine River Museum, and the Mazza Museum of Picture Book Art. When Matt's not working in his studio on his latest book project, he travels the country speaking (and drawing) at schools, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. He has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and he's even done a few book signings at Fenway Park. Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters.
