A Little Pretty Pocket-Book facts for kids
The book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book is a very old children's book from 1744. It was written by a British publisher named John Newbery. This book is famous because it has the first known mention of a game called "base-ball."
What is A Little Pretty Pocket-Book?
This special book from 1744 was made to entertain young children like "Little Master Tommy" and "Pretty Miss Polly." It was one of the first books created just for kids!
The First Mention of "Baseball"
Inside the book, there's a picture (a woodcut) showing different games people played a long time ago. One of these games is called "stool-ball." The book also includes a short poem titled "Base-Ball."
This poem is the very first time the word "base-ball" appeared in a printed book. However, the game it described wasn't exactly like the modern baseball we know today.
"Base-Ball" and Rounders
When the book mentioned "base-ball," it was actually talking about a game called rounders. Rounders is an older game that is like an ancestor to modern baseball. It has been played in England for a very long time, even before the 1700s.
Rounders is a team game where players hit a small ball with a bat. After hitting the ball, they run around four bases to score points. This is very similar to how baseball is played today, showing how games can change over many years!
