Syd Hoff was born and raised in New York City. He studied at the National Academy of Design and sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker when he was eighteen. He eventually became one of the most original and beloved authors and illustrators of children's books. Mr. Hoff wrote more than fifty books for children, including the I Can Read titles Danny and the Dinosaur, Oliver, and Sammy the Seal. Of all the players in the little league, Harold was the littlest. No matter how hard he tries, Harold is no good at baseball. The ground balls always bounce over his head, and his little legs never get him to the pop flies fast enough. So the only place Coach Lombardi puts him is on the bench. Until one day, during a very important game, Harold gets his big chance to show that being little isn't so bad after all. Of all the players in the little league, Harold was the littlest. No matter how hard he tries, Harold is no good at baseball. The ground balls always bounce over his head, and his little legs never get him to the pop flies fast enough. So the only place Coach Lombardi puts him is on the bench. Until one day, during a very important game, Harold gets his big chance to show that being little isn't so bad after all. Of all the players in the little league, Harold was the littlest. No matter how hard he tries, Harold is no good at baseball. The ground balls always bounce over his head, and his little legs never get him to the pop flies fast enough. So the only place Coach Lombardi puts him is on the bench. Until one day, during a very important game, Harold gets his big chance to show that being little isn't so bad after all.