Leonard MattThe Cricket Book for Kids: The History of Cricket, the Greatest Players of All Time, Amazing Games, and Incredible Facts

I was exposed to cricket in England, but, as an American who grew up with baseball, the rules of cricket still seem pretty strange. This book, meant for kids, is very basic, but I’d still need more exposure to say I really understand the game. And that may happen, especially for Americans younger than me. According to Leonard Matt, there’s now Major League Cricket in America, and cricket will be a featured event at the 2028 Olympics in California.It seems to me, after reading Matthew’s stories about the game, that cricket is every bit as much a game of statistics as baseball. And with what they call T20, 20 overs for each team, they’ve made it about as long as a baseball game. Games used to be much longer, sometimes lasting for days. I remember that from my time in England. Insofar as terminology, the problem term for me was always “innings” which, for Cricket, is apparently always plural, like “one innings”, and a cricket innings is much longer than a baseball inning because everyone has to bat before a cricket innings is over. The term “over” is also different from anything in baseball. One player’s “at bat" (American term) can last many “overs" in cricket, each over consisting of six throws (or bowls I guess). Since each bowler only gets six overs at a time, each batter can face more than one bowler before his turn at bat turn is over. Plus they’re running back and forth, two players at a time. Confusing, but I understand it better after reading Leonard Mattt's book. It would probably be more clear if I watched some cricket games. (Or matches?)The strength of this book is Matthew’s stories about cricket superstars; some from bygone days and some still active today. They're probably the British equivalent of the baseball stars I admired so much as a kid and even, perhaps, to this day.

Leonard Matt’s The Cricket Book for Kids is a delightful and informative journey into the world of cricket, designed to captivate young readers aged 9-12. With its perfect mix of history, legendary players, fascinating matches, and fun facts, this book is a fantastic resource for kids who are curious about cricket or dreaming of mastering the sport. I would recommend this book for kids interested in Cricket.

I know this book said, "for kids", but I love sports, and there are a few that I really don't know too much about...lacrosse, rugby and cricket. Well, I can now scratch cricket off my list of ignorance. While this was heavy on players and history and light on the rules, I received a great overview of the sport. I now feel that I can sit down with a bunch of cricket fanatics and understand what they are talking about and MAYBE add a sentence or two to the conversation. I think I may have caught the cricket "bug" (pun intended) because I am already trying to see if there are any games on the TV.

I bought this book for my son who just got into watching and playing cricket. I am truly disappointed. The biographies are poorly written. The book only spent half a page on Don Bradman, the greatest cricketer of all time. It could have been better researched. Also, the fun facts in the end are the least fun part of the book. Most facts are the opposite of interesting. Players' illustrations are ok, but have some mistake that my son found bemusing, like why is Muralitharan bowing a no ball. Also, there are some spelling mistakes (it's called a ball, not 'bowl'). Overall, the author could have done a better job.

My kiddo absolutely loves this book! It's packed with fascinating cricket history, easy-to-understand rules, and inspiring stories of legendary players. The colorful illustrations make it super engaging, and my child can't get enough of the fun facts and exciting match recaps. Perfect for any young sports enthusiast!