The girls had spring break last week so we decided to take an off-season trip to Cooperstown. We have since decided that we are a family that loves the off-season vacation. Great hotel room prices (a suite complete with bunk beds for the girls), lots of parking and a quiet museum. Win-win-win.

It was also obviously a win for the baseball fans among us. The museum is full of interesting tidbits and cool artifacts. This was one of those trips though, that the slightly less enthusiastic fan in the family was taking for the team (pun just couldn’t be avoided- sorry!) Or so I thought…

What a pleasant surprise for me that the Baseball Hall of Fame clearly finds literacy to be about as important as our nation’s pastime.

The bookstore was full of children’s books about baseball…

There was a room set aside with books for kids to read as they took a break from walking around called Pastime Pages…

along with a bank of buttons to push to hear a baseball book read aloud.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, Audrey Vernick, author of Brothers at Bat, was at the museum for an event and a book signing.

Brothers at Bat tells the fascinating story of a family of 12 brothers from New Jersey who fielded an all brother baseball team during the 1930’s and 1940’s.

And three of the brothers and one of their sisters was there too… Amazing story tellers, each of them.

Turns out that books and baseball make a pretty amazing combination…