Picturebook Review: Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit, written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, is about the boy-genius Randy. He loves science, particularly robots and astronomy. He also loves baseball, but cannot seem to shine in baseball like he does with more intellectual pursuits. He strikes out every single time he is up to bat, no matter how hard he tries. One night before bed, Randy took his normal night-time look through the telescope. However, this time he did not see what he expects. He sees a fireball in the sky, and according to his math and science work only to discover that the meteor will hit his town in a few days. No one believes him when he tries to warn them, so he devises his own brilliant solution. Randy combines his love of all things science with his love of baseball to save the town in spectacular fashion. 

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit is a great book for reading aloud and showing the pictures, and for readers that are ready to make the jump to reading by themselves.The brilliant illustrations and detailed text combine to keep adults and children interested as Randy works wonders and saves his town. The story encourages independence, intelligence, and creativity. 

I highly recommend this book to everyone, read with children four and older while enjoying it yourself. If you enjoy it, I recommend taking a look at the rest of Van Dusen's work. I especially recommend The Circus Ship as a read before or after Randy Riley's Really Big Hit, they are both favorites in my house.