Overview
Nemesio Guilló didn't travel from Cuba to the United States as an eleven-year-old boy just so he could find a new sport to introduce to his home country. But that's exactly what happened! Nemesio and his older brother came to Alabama in 1858 to attend school. While there, they encountered a new sport that was sweeping the country--baseball. Back in Cuba, Spanish colonizers expected Cubans to follow Spanish customs, including bullfighting. Nemesio believed that baseball better reflected the spirit of the Cuban people, and when he returned home, he brought along a baseball bat so he could introduce the game to his friends. The Spanish governor eventually banned béisbol, as it became known, from being played in Cuba, but by that point it had already caught on. In time, the Cubans gained their independence, and baseball became the national sport! Author and illustrator Ramon Olivera shares the fascinating true story of how a teenage boy brought béisbol from the United States to Cuba!
Full Product Details
Author: Ramon Olivera ,
Ramon Olivera
Publisher: Bound to Stay Bound Books
Imprint: Bound to Stay Bound Books
ISBN: 9798260506578
Pages: 33
Publication Date: 03 March 2026
Recommended Age: From 8 to 9 years
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
""The illustrations are engaging, detailed, and colorful. Young sports lovers will enjoy this book! Reviewer Rating: 5""--Children's Literature -- (2/5/2026 12:00:00 AM) ""First-generation Cuban American Olivera captures Guilló's excitement for this fledgling sport and how it was embraced by the people of Cuba in the book's illustrations, which cleverly incorporate the brilliant red and blue of the Cuban flag. . . . an informative piece of sports history.""--Booklist -- (12/15/2025 12:00:00 AM) ""Long-overdue recognition for a founding father of Cuban baseball. ¡Maravilloso!""--Kirkus Reviews -- (12/19/2025 12:00:00 AM) ""A significant addition to baseball's early history.""--School Library Journal -- (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Author Information
Ramon Olivera earned his BS in illustration from San Jose State University. He has illustrated more than twenty books for children and is author/illustrator of ABCs on Wings and ABCs on Wheels. Publishing clients include Little Simon, Hachette UK, Abrams Appleseed, and Little, Brown and Company. He was part of a team that received an Annie Award nomination for their production design work on 'Hoops & YoYo's Haunted Halloween'. His work has been exhibited in the New York Society of Illustrators and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Ramon lives in the Kansas City area with his wife and two kids. Ramon Olivera earned his BS in illustration from San Jose State University. He has illustrated more than twenty books for children and is author/illustrator of ABCs on Wings and ABCs on Wheels. Publishing clients include Little Simon, Hachette UK, Abrams Appleseed, and Little, Brown and Company. He was part of a team that received an Annie Award nomination for their production design work on 'Hoops & YoYo's Haunted Halloween'. His work has been exhibited in the New York Society of Illustrators and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Ramon lives in the Kansas City area with his wife and two kids.
