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Olivera, Ramon

Béisbol Begins: How Nemesio Guilló Brought Baseball to Cuba

40 pp. | Millbrook | March, 2026 | Trade ISBN 9798765649343 $20.99
(3) K-3 In 1858, a boy named Nemesio Guilló, with his older brother, left their well-to-do family in Cuba to study in the United States. The sport of baseball was all the rage in the U.S. and was fascinating to Nemesio for its teamwork and fair-mindedness. “Nemesio dreamed of someday forming a team back home in Cuba. But, he wondered, would Spain ever allow such a game to be played in Cuba?” When the brothers return home, Nemesio brings with him a “precious treasure...un bate de béisbol. The first-ever baseball bat in Cuba!” He helps develop the island’s very first team, which fosters national pride and enthusiasm and eventually leads to baseball’s status as “the national sport of Cuba.” Throughout the narrative, Olivera provides somewhat brief (and occasionally overgeneralized) but fascinating socio-political history about the island’s colonization and baseball’s unique role in the formation of cultural identity: “The Spanish rulers expected the Cuban people to follow Spanish customs, like bullfighting...Nemesio thought this new game was a better reflection of the spirit of the Cuban people.” Some of the issues raised are explored in greater depth in the engaging and useful back matter, which also includes a glossary and bibliography. Lively and varied digital-looking illustrations reflect the love of the game.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

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