Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues

When Pedro Martinez was growing up in poverty in the Dominican Republic, he always looked up to his big brother Ramon and wanted to be just like him. Pedro wasn’t happy when Ramon told him hard ball was too dangerous for him to play, but he knew his brother was looking out for him. The brothers dreamed of playing baseball for the major leagues in the U. S. and becoming millionaires. In time Ramon would become a star on the Dodgers, and Pedro was right behind seven years later. With ups and downs of Pedro’s being traded to a different team, having to play against one another, and Ramon’s battling an injury, the brothers never lost their close bond, and they used their millions to provide for their family back home. As shared in an show more author’s note, the Martinez brothers gave back to their community, donating time and money to better people’s lives, especially children. Beautifully rendered realistic paintings in watercolor, gouache, and pencil capture the lush countryside of the Dominican Republic as well as sad moments of leaving home and tense moments on the ball field. Tavares scores a homer with this engaging picture book biography. show less

This is not a book I would normally pick up but I ordered it because it received the Orbis Pictus Honor in 2016 and because so many kids love sports, especially baseball, including my own two boys who both love to pitch. This is an excellent biography about Pedro Martinez and his brother Ramon Martinez and how they made it from the Dominican Republic to the major leagues. Pedro Martinez is considered one of the best all time pitchers. It is a story about the bond brothers can have and about working hard to attain ones goals. Pedro & Ramon, although playing in the major leagues, stayed rooted to their hometown in the Dominican Republic and have donated their time and money to improve the lives of the people there, especially the show more children. This book is written and illustrated by Matt Tavares.

Amazon recommends this book for children ages 8-12 years old. It is about 40 pages long. show less

I really enjoyed this book. This book was very informative, and I feel like I know quite a lot of information about Pedro Martinez even though I had never heard of him and read about him before this book. I really liked how the illustrations aligned so well with everything. The illustrations are so realistic and it makes it that much more interesting to read about. I think Matt Tavares did a fantastic job writing this biography and I would absolutely have this book in my classroom library.

This book recounts the life and career of Pedro Martinez, World Series winning pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Starting from his childhood in the Dominican Republic, the book chronicles Pedro and his brother Ramon's lives growing up to be top notch baseball players, with Ramon heading to the US first and then Pedro following. Through trades, injuries, and losses, the brothers remain true to each other and Pedro remains true to himself. He also brings his good fortune back to the Dominican Republic.

This book tells a story of hard work and perseverance, the importance of family and brotherhood, good humor, and valuing where one comes from.

This book follows the life and journey of Pedro Martinez, a professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.
Pedro grew up in a small town in the Dominican Republic where he would spend all his free time watching his older brother Pedro play baseball, he knew he wanted to be just like him!
Throughout the book, it talks about the brothers rise to the major leagues. Eventually, they both get drafted, one after another, to the LA Dodgers. Eventually The then both end up playing for the Boston Red Sox.
I thought that the story was a very easy read but was filled with wonderful information on Pedro.

This book is an awesome read! It is so very inspiring to all kids. Th emessage from this story encourages children to never lose hope of their dream and to also always love your family. I believe this book would be awesome to read at any point in the year as it always good to get the message of loving your family out there/

This book was about the famous pitcher Pedro Martines and how he grew up in the Dominican Republic looking up to his brother Ramon Martinez. It talks about how the brothers both made it into the Major leagues and how they worked hard to get to where they were at. Its a beautiful biography of Pedro Martinez and his life.