These are paperback coloring and activity books for the baseball and tennis fan. They have colorful covers showing athletes in action. Inside are 50 pages of word searches, games, and puzzles. The Cubs Coloring and Activity Book, licensed by Major League Baseball Properties Inc. and the Major League Baseball Players Association, contains 19 images of the 2008 team. The website states that the books are updated annually, so you can be sure that your baseball enthusiast will have the current members of the team in his book. We also reviewed the US Open Tennis Coloring and Activity Book, which is licensed by the US Tennis Association. It too has 50 pages filled with educational crossword puzzles and games about tennis and the US Open.

The books are intended for the young at heart. The dot-to-dot pages are fairly easy, but the crossword puzzles and Player Challenges are more difficult. Thankfully, there are answers in the back of the books. The coloring pages are full of great information about the players and the sport. The New York Yankees Coloring and Activity Book has a page that tells about the retired numbers at Yankee Stadium. Each baseball book also has a current roster of the team.

The sports enthusiasts in our house enjoyed these books. My non-sports enthusiast enjoyed the books too. She liked using the books to occupy her time when we were out and about. The artist in your family will appreciate the artwork. We enjoyed learning more about the baseball teams and the US Open. While the books were not written specifically for the homeschool community, they would be a good addition to an eclectic homeschool. They could also be used to acquaint a young child with a team before attending a major league baseball game.

The games and puzzles are a lot of fun. The books are portable and great for those times when you are waiting and wanting something to do.

Product review by Maggi Beardsley, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2010