SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Batter Up for the First Day of School
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.bethanyhegedus.com/
CITY: Austin
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 359
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born c. 1974; married; children: one son.
EDUCATION:August State University, B.A.; Vermont College of Fine Arts, M.F.A., 2005.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, editor, entrepreneur, and educator. Burke County High School, Waynesboro, GA, former high-school English and theater teacher; worked for a firm at the World Financial Center, New York, NY; Hunger Mountain, former editor; The Writing Barn, Austin, TX, owner and creative director. Writers’ League of Texas, office manager; guest speaker and presenter.
MEMBER:Writers’ League of Texas.
AWARDS:Best Picture Book finalist, Writers’ League of Texas Book Awards, 2016, for Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Bethany Hegedus is a children’s writer who is well known for collaborating with a grandson of Mohandhas Gandhi to bring the hallowed Indian leader’s experiences and words of wisdom to the pages of children’s books. Raised in Chicago, Hegedus moved with her family to Georgia at the age of thirteen, to be sickened by the realities of persisting racism there. As a recent college graduate teaching high-school English and theater, she was advised to never cast students in an interracial romance. Hegedus moved to New York City hoping to become an actor, but writing came more naturally to her. Witnessing the devastation of 9/11 at the World Trade Center from the nearby World Financial Center, and doing what she could to volunteer, Hegedus was inspired to devote herself to bringing something good into the world. A path for doing so became apparent when she attended a post-9/11 speech of consolation and comfort by Arun Gandhi, grandson of the man who peacefully led India to independence in the mid-twentieth century.
Speaking with an interviewer on the Booking Biz website, Hegedus related how upset she was as a youth by racism, discrimination, and other forms of interpersonal cruelty and injustice. She recalls being angered, for example, upon seeing video in fifth grade of violent white police responses to peaceful civil rights protests by African Americans, as well as by everyday incidents like children calling each other names on the playground. Hegedus told the Booking Biz website interviewer that her writing career is largely a response to such injustice. She expressed: “This desire to write about the changes I hope to see made in the world is what drives all my work. … I believe we can turn our anger into light. I’ve worked hard to turn my anger and hurt into words and books. I believe we can make the world a better place. … I want young readers to know they can take their angers and hurts and make them better—for themselves and for others.”
Hegedus’s first middle-grade novel is Between Us Baxters, a look at the build-up and consequences of racial tensions in small-town Georgia in the 1950s. Twelve-year-old Polly’s family starts enduring hard times when her father loses his job, but Polly tries to enjoy the days with her friend Timbre Ann, an African American girl whose aunt works as a housekeeper alongside Polly’s mother. As poor whites start blaming successful black business owners for their misfortunes, violence flares, and the drama becomes especially intense among Polly’s and Timbre Ann’s families.
In Booklist, Hazel Rochman appreciated that Hegedus does not glorify the virtuous and vilify the prejudiced in Between Us Baxters, but evenhandedly shows the human stories behind the civil strife. In School Library Journal, Magaret Auguste observed, “The connection between the two girls and their families is beautifully described and believable, and the richness of the characters is apparent.” She called the story’s pacing “deliberate and suspenseful with twists and turns,” leading up to a “bittersweet conclusion.”
Also set in rural Georgia and bringing youths of different races together is the middle-grade novel Truth with a Capital T. Eleven-year-old Maebelle, disappointed to have failed to make the cut for a gifted-and-talented class in middle school in the fall, is relieved to be able to spend the summer with her country-singer grandparents. She is not so sure, however, about getting along with her adopted African American cousin, Isaac, a ten-year-old trumpet prodigy who gets all the attention. The youths’ relationship unfolds in a house that harbors a secret, in a locked wing that they are not permitted to explore—a secret that speaks volumes about their heritage. A Kirkus Reviews writer observed, “Lots of elements here, and most fit together smoothly and treat the nicely drawn cast of characters with depth and dimension.” In Booklist, Anne O’Malley said of Truth with a Capital T, “Hegedus nicely blends the historic background with the contemporary strand … in this strong story about peer competition, race in a small town, and coming to terms with family history.”
Hegedus’s collaboration with Arun Gandhi, along with illustrator Evan Turk, began with Grandfather Gandhi. The picture book shows the young Arun traveling from his home in 1940s South Africa to visit his renowned, and somewhat intimidating, grandfather, called the Mahatma, at his ashram in Sevagram, India. Impatient at prayer time, easily frustrated while playing soccer with the village children, and worried he will never live up to the Gandhi name, Arun confesses his troubles to his grandfather. Mahatma Gandhi advises his young grandson to channel his anger for good, the way electricity can destroy, as lightning, but also produces light.
Kathleen T. Horning, in Horn Book, noted that the “graceful narrative” is “unusual for its child-centered and intimate portrait of Gandhi.” Jody Kopple, in School Library Journal, noted that among similar biographies, Grandfather Gandhi “stands out for its unique point of view and gorgeous art.” Likewise applauding Turk’s mixed-media illustrations, a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded: “Dynamic visuals and storytelling create a rousing family story that speaks to a broad audience.”
Hegedus and Arun Gandhi again teamed up with illustrator Turk for the follow-up title Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story. Now living in his grandfather’s village, Arun faces a new challenge when, having vowed not to be wasteful in any way, he exasperatedly discards a shortened pencil. This gives Grandfather Gandhi, or Bapuji, a chance to teach Arun about consequences and how to enact the change he wishes for the world. Horn Book reviewer Sam Bloom wrote of Be the Change: “As a vehicle for showing the human side of the seminal figure that is Gandhi, this is a valuable title for young readers.”
Turning to one of her favorite authors, Hegedus wrote a picture-book biography of Harper Lee, illustrated by Erin McGuire, titled Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The daughter of an attorney in a small Alabama town, Nelle Harper Lee befriended a young Truman Capote as a child, and the two nurtured their interest in writing together. The book tells of how Nelle went on to move to New York City, write her famous novel—basing some of the characters on people including her father and other residents of her hometown—and struggled to deal with the enormous success that followed.
Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper applauded Alabama Spitfire as “especially well structured. The text is short enough to ensure children don’t lose interest, but it’s packed with information about Lee.” A Kirkus Reviews writer affirmed that Alabama Spitfire “is clearly a labor of love,” while a Publishers Weekly reviewer labeled the book “an affectionate ode to a writer who ‘carved out a life of her own design,’ as Hegedus eloquently puts it.”
Hegedus turns to a figure from African American history in Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, a verse narrative about the life and career of dancer, singer, activist, and poet Maya Angelou. With Angelou’s grandson Colin Johnson providing a foreword, Hegedus starts with her subject’s youth, which was tinged by the ubiquitous racism of the South. Far more traumatic for Angelou was being assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend while still a child. The book hints at the nature of the assault by showing the man’s shadow on her bedroom wall and mentioning a trip to the hospital, and it also hints at the extrajudicial revenge later exacted on the assailant by showing his crumpled form on the ground. The experience left Angelou mute for years. She overcame this challenge to become a stellar performer, first as a dancer and later as a memoirist and poet, one whose words have inspired American children of all races, especially her fellow African Americans. The book’s end matter includes a detailed time line of Angelou’s life.
Maggie Chase noted in School Library Journal that Hegedus’s “rich language conveys the emotions Angelou felt at different times in her life, ranging from terror to jubilance.” Chase called Rise! an “important and powerful” work. A Kirkus Reviews writer declared, “This deeply important story will foster further discussion around racism, sexual abuse, and courage.”
The life of a down-home American president is shared in Hegedus’s Hard Work, but It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter. Despite being raised in the segregated South in the 1930s, Carter was a stranger to prejudice from boyhood, forming lasting relationships with African Americans including his caretaker Rachel Clark and close friend Alonzo “A.D.” Davis. Only in maturing did he realize the depth of other people’s prejudice, which he perceived when people treated A.D. differently from himself, and which led him to codify his own “Good Mental Habits” as a moral compass. Carter would proceed to make stands against racism as a business owner, vis-á-vis public schools, and as governor of Georgia for four years, and he won the presidential election in 1976. His humanitarian efforts after leaving office led to his winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. In School Library Journal, Jamie Jensen called Hard Work, but It’s Worth It “an effective tribute to Carter’s life and influence.”
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After Huddle Up! Cuddle Up! and You, Me, We: A Celebration of Peace and Community (the latter cowritten by Arun Gandhi), Hegedus wrote a picture book to celebrate the first day of school. Batter Up for the First Day of School! portrays the various actions that have to take place before a brother and sister head off to school, and then it breaks down the things they can expect on that first day. Hegedus uses baseball imagery and metaphors to create a feeling of excitement, and the book works for new kindergartners wondering what to expect and slightly older students who need some inspiration for the new school year. A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews called the book a “great back-to-school read.” They appreciated both the “fast-paced text” and “lively digital paintings” by award-winning illustrator Nomar Perez.
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 2009, Hazel Rochman, review of Between Us Baxters, p. 52; October 1, 2010, Anne O’Malley, review of Truth with a Capital T, p. 92; December 15, 2013, Thom Barthelmess, review of Grandfather Gandhi, p. 35; June 1, 2016, Maggie Reagan, review of Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story, p. 99; December 15, 2017, Ilene Cooper, review of Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” p. 94.
Horn Book, March-April, 2014, Kathleen T. Horning, review of Grandfather Gandhi, p. 140; July-August, 2016, Sam Bloom, review of Be the Change, p. 154.
Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2010, review of Truth with a Capital T; October 15, 2017, review of Alabama Spitfire; June 15, 2019, review of Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou; July 15, 2020, review of Huddle Up! Cuddle Up!; March 1, 2025, review of Batter Up for the First Day of School!
Publishers Weekly, December 16, 2013, review of Grandfather Gandhi, p. 63; annual, 2014, review of Grandfather Gandhi, p. 52; November 20, 2017, review of Alabama Spitfire, p. 92.
School Library Journal, May, 2009, Margaret Auguste, review of Between Us Baxters, p. 108; December, 2010, Nancy P. Reeder, review of Truth with a Capital T, p. 115; February, 2014, Jody Kopple, review of Grandfather Gandhi, p. 119; July, 2016, Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, review of Be the Change, p. 54; January, 2018, Maryann H. Owen, review of Alabama Spitfire, p. 97; September, 2019, Maggie Chase, review of Rise!, p. 137; January, 2020, Jamie Jensen, review of Hard Work, but It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter, p. 90.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2009, Karen Jensen, review of Between Us Baxters, p. 315.
ONLINE
Bethany Hegedus website, http://www.bethanyhegedus.com (September 8, 2025).
Booking Biz, https://thebookingbiz.com/ (August 3, 2016), “Bethany Hegedus Talks about Be the Change.”
Butterfly Review, http://butterflyreview.blogspot.com/ (January 23, 2009), review of Between Us Baxters.
Cynsations, http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/ (March 10, 2018), Gayleen Rabakukk, author interview; (October 1, 2019), Gayleen Rabakukk, author interview.
Hunger Mountain, http://hungermtn.org/ (September 10, 2014), “Bethany Hegedus Interviews Evan Turk,” author profile.
Imaginary Blog, http://lynnhazenimaginaryblog.blogspot.com/ (April 20, 2009), Lynn E. Hazen, interview with Bethany Hegedus and Kekla Magoon.
Lee & Low Books website, https://blog.leeandlow.com/ (August 13, 2019), “Interview: Author Bethany Hegedus on Writing Rise!”
Sonia Gensler website, https://soniagensler.com/ (February 27, 2014), “The Writing Barn: Interview with Creative Director Bethany Hegedu.”
Through the Tollbooth, http://community.livejournal.com/thru.the.booth/ (April 30, 2009), Sarah Sullivan, “Bethany Hegedus Talks about Between Us Baxters.”
Writers’ League of Texas website, http://www.writersleague.org/ (June 8, 2018), author profile.
Writing Barn website, http://thewritingbarn.com/ (April 4, 2020), author profile.*
Maybe as a writer, you’re excited to write books that positively impact young people, but you’re nervous about putting yourself out there. You’ve fallen prey to what I call the “compare/despair” syndrome, where the creative journey is just a series of hurdles in a never-ending race.
Maybe as an educator, you long to use diverse stories to discuss tough topics with your students, but you’re not sure how, especially if you’re a white educator.
As a writer and former educator, and author of numerous children’s books, I’ve felt and faced it all in my twenty years of pursing my dream, and then my career, as a published writer and speaker. I feel doubt and insecurity often, but I’ve taught myself, over and over again to stop stopping when afraid.
How?
By getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.
By believing my books into being. By realizing creativity is not a competition.
I don’t let fear or obstacles stop me. And neither should you.
MY OFFICIAL BIO
A former educator and award-winning author of over thirteen titles such as Grandfather Gandhi, Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People: Maya Angelou, Bethany Hegedus is an in-demand keynote speaker and authority on both children’s literature and creativity. In 2025 alone, three new books will debut: Batter Up for the First Day of School (Viking/PRH), Yours Mine, Ours: A Celebration of Service and Community, with co-author Arun Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma, and No Bad Part with co-author Dick Schwartrz, world-renowned creator of the Internal Family Systems model of therapy.
Bethany is the Founder and Creative Director of The Writing Barn, The Courage to Create Community and The Verge. Bethany has personally ushered hundreds of writers pre-published to well-published. A believer in turning pain into action, Bethany writes books to create change and entertain.
MY FULL OFFICIAL BIO Bethany Hegedus’ award-winning body of work includes four co-author titles, with Arun Gandhi, (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi) include Grandfather Gandhi (S&S), Be the Change; A Grandfather Gandhi Story (S&S), You, Me, We: A Celebration of Peace and Community (Candlewick) and the forthcoming Yours, Mine, Ours: A Celebration of Service and Community (Candlewick). Her over twenty year collaboration and then friendship with Arun Gandhi, whom she approached to work with her, born out of her desire to bring something good into the world after surviving 9/11, is what helped catapult her career and together their four children’s books, and Arun’s The Gift of Anger, defined the last years of the peacekeepers life. A deep believer in turning pain into action, Bethany has published numerous biographies on changemakers in the arts and social justice. These include: Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird (Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins), Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People: Dr. Maya Angelou (Lee & Low), Hard Work But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter (Balzar + Bray/Harper Collins). After the birth of her son, Taru, Bethany found inspiration in family fun, adding Huddle Up, Cuddle Up (Viking/PRH) --an ode to family, football and bedtime. and the forthcoming Batter Up for The First Day of School (Viking/PRH)--and ode to family, baseball and back to school transitions will release in June 2025. Bethany’s books have been included in numerous “best of” lists such as A Mighty Girl’s Best Books of 2018 and Kirkus’ Best Books of the Year, been reviewed in the New York Times, made the Bluebonnet list and more. Interviewed on local and the national news, Bethany has appeared on KXAN, KVUE, and News Nation Now, to discuss her books and the figures she writes about. Coming later in 2025, is another co-authored title: No Bad Parts with Dick Schwartz, renowned therapist who created the Internal Family Systems therapy model, from Sounds True. As a writing instructor, and founder/creative director of The Writing Barn, Bethany has ushered hundreds of writing students and personal mentees from pre-published to well-published. Amid her most well-known past students are: Christina Soontornvat, Jason June, Anne Wynter, Nicholas Solis, Michael Gephart, Gloria Amescua, Nanci Turner Steveson, Kim Rogers and more. She has created long lasting programs and communities, such as The Write. Submit. Support program, and the ever-growing Courage to Create community. A former educator, Bethany holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from VCFA, and speaks nationally on the topics of creativity, resilience, and writing craft and career. She lives in the Austin, Texas area with her physicist husband, boisterous ten-year-old, and not-so-peaceful dog, Shanti.
Hegedus, Bethany HUDDLE UP! CUDDLE UP! Viking (Children's None) $17.99 8, 25 ISBN: 978-0-593-11562-6
There’s nothing that brings a family together with excitement and energy quite like sports.
This bedtime routine is anything but boring as the coaches (also known as parents) help their kids get ready for bed. As soon as the family enters the house it is a rush to complete the sports-themed Sunday-night bedtime routine. Each page incorporates sport terms and, often, football plays as they hustle. They need to get clothes from the laundry (Dad hikes an armful through his legs to an enthusiastic youngster), brush their teeth (in unison, to a stopwatch), take a bath (which begins like a Gatorade dunk), and of course tidy up (all in record time, of course). The family dog even plays a special part in making sure the team gets the ball over the goal line—watch out for “unnecessary ruffness.” Sports fans will love the idea of gathering the family together for a “Story-Time-Out” as they settle their children for a nap or at night. Most of the sports terms incorporated are football-related, but an occasional basketball or hockey term helps keep up the frantic pace. Deas’ movement-filled cartoons depict a Black-appearing mom, a White-appearing dad, their two brown-skinned kids, and a shaggy black mutt making happy mayhem in this comfortable, middle-class home. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 41.3% of actual size.)
A cute read for any family that is missing out on sports (or needs a change-up in their bedtime reading). (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Hegedus, Bethany: HUDDLE UP! CUDDLE UP!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A629261384/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e45d0f1d. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Hegedus, Bethany BATTER UP FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Viking (Children's None) $18.99 5, 13 ISBN: 9780593526637
It's the season opener for twins Hank and Erin, avid baseball fans ready for the first day of school.
The youngsters' bedroom contains a bat propped up by the foot of the bed, pennants on the wall, and a planner marked "Game Day" alongside a "Back to School" reminder. Although Hank and Erin aren't exactly raring to go, once they have breakfast and set off for school, they get into the groove. It helps that everything seems to be baseball-themed, starting at home with their parents' call for the "sluggers" to awaken and continuing through a series of "morning drills" (brushing their teeth and combing their hair). And it doesn't stop when they arrive at Grand Slam Elementary--the day is broken up into innings, a spilled container of milk at lunch is a "foul ball," and their savvy teacher refers to the classroom as a dugout, with sporty rules and expectations clearly laid out ("Be kind to every player"; "when you hit the field, safety first"). When the kids are called up to the blackboard for a spelling exercise, they initially get it wrong ("It's a swing and a miss!") before triumphing: "And the crowd goes wild!" The fast-paced text and lively digital paintings give the book energy to spare. For these youngsters, it's a promising start to the school year, er, season--hot diggity dog! The curly-haired tots and their parents are tan-skinned; their classmates are diverse.
All the bases are loaded for a great back-to-school read.(Picture book. 5-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Hegedus, Bethany: BATTER UP FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785190/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9475a614. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.