REVIEW: 'SI Kids—Pro-Files: Baseball'

Let's face it, we all need some distraction from Saturday's Valentine's Day Massacre. OK, we've got an idea for you. FenwayNation was recently given the privilege of reviewing a new book from Sports Illustrated Kids. The book, Pro Files: Baseball is aimed at kids aged 8-12, but it's actually chock full of usable information for anyone playing baseball from 5-18. Not only does the book display fun facts about 15 of the most popular players in MLB (including our own beloved Dustin Pedroia), it does it with the graphic pizazz that only Sports Illustrated can deliver. Want to know who Pedey's favorite athlete was growing up? We won't spoil it for you, but we will tell you it wasn't a baseball player.

In addition to Pedroia, the book offers insights from such mega-stars as Justin Verlander, Albert Pujols, Tim Lincecum and Josh Hamilton. But it's not just fun stuff, each player offers inside advice on how to carry out a particular part of their job—from Mariano Rivera's incredible focus ("Sometimes I see only the catcher's glove") to the Muddy Chicken's double-play technique ("You've got to simplify it into two steps. Just make sure you catch it first and throw it second"). Basic, but worth its weight in gold from an MVP.

This volume is one of those rare sports books for kids: it offers appealing graphics and photos to catch their eyes, but also provides substantive advice. And of course, you can find out Pedroia's favorite cartoon character. We recommend the book highly.

You can purchase Pro Files: Baseball on Amazon HERE.