A ball is the first machine a child ever masters. It is round, so it goes; it comes back, which almost nothing else in the toy box does; and it looks the same from every angle, so there is no wrong way to hold one. “Ball” is among the first words most toddlers say, and picture books worked out why a long time ago: a ball is a plot. Throw it and something happens. Lose it and something worse does. Hand one to a dog and you have a nearly wordless Caldecott Medal.
Two different kinds of book call themselves ball books, and this is the one about the round kind — the red rubber ball, the bouncy ball loose in the house, the yellow one that floats out to sea. (For gowns, glass slippers, and midnight, start with Cinderella stories.) Drawing on Bookroo’s collection of ball books, our editors put the object stories first: wordless picture books, first-word board books, a deadpan concept book, one Beginner Book from 1959, and the nonfiction that finally explains what is inside a baseball. Start with the fixed shortlist of 12, then browse by age — the shelves tilt toward the game as readers get older, which is more or less what happens to real children.
A cherished toy is lost, sparking a journey through joy and sorrow.
A serious elephant and a playful pig clash over a simple game of catch.
Two young birds find a polka-dotted ball in the grass, decide it is an egg, and settle in to raise it.
A boy's wild chase for a runaway ball leads to unexpected chaos.
A book that insists the cube on its cover is a ball, and refuses to be talked out of it.
A forgotten ball drifts into the sea, facing storms and finding a new home.
A toddler defends his prized rubber ball from a sneaky cat.
A ball on a string threads through every page while one animal after another lunges for it.
Beach balls, baseballs, gumballs — round things of every size, and the children who chase them.
One of them floats effortlessly and knows it; the other is stuck on the ground wondering what it is good for.
What is actually inside a baseball, a golf ball, and a ping-pong ball, and why each one looks the way it does.
Sturdy pages for the stretch when “ball” is half a child’s vocabulary — bouncing, catching, and a first look at the games grown-ups shout at, for ages 0–4.
Discover what toys spark joy and inclusivity for Rosa and friends.
Discover football basics with a book shaped like the game itself.
A toy doctor helps a ball overcome its fear to bounce again.
Missing balls, backyard games of catch, alphabet trips around a ballpark, and the day a child finally gets picked for a team, for ages 3–8.
A child bids goodnight to the thrilling world of football.
A big guy takes Piggie's ball. Can Gerald help?
A baseball lands in a tree, sparking a clever rescue mission.
A fuzzy object disrupts prairie dog harmony, sparking chaos and greed. Can they rediscover unity?
A missing ball leads to a puzzling mystery. Can King and Kayla solve it?
A girl joins a league of female baseball players during WWII.
A puppy tries to join a ball game.
What is round, colorful, and home to us all?
A ranch dog trades naps for sports, but dinnertime is his true victory.
A ball goes into the doghouse and a series of animals try to retrieve it.
A young soccer player learns the true meaning of teamwork and perseverance.
Explore the storied past of baseball's oldest ballpark.
By this age the ball nearly always arrives with a game attached — baseball mysteries, a hard first season on a new team, and one Cherokee stickball road trip, for readers 6–12.
A baseball game decides a town's fate. Can Tom unlock a legend's secrets to win?
A young boy navigates basketball and school politics as he tries to find his place and prove himself.
A missing baseball challenges Cam's memory skills.
A legendary bat, an epic game, and a road trip full of mystery and danger await two friends.
Jack faces relentless bullies and a missing glove. Can he reclaim his joy and celebrate the World Series?
A mysterious player vanishes, leaving a team to uncover the secret to their success in a thrilling baseball journey.
