David A. Adler's picture-book biography deftly charactererizes the hard work and uncomplicated integrity that made baseball player Lou Gehrig a man viewed with genuine respect and affection by his teammates and fans. As a child, Gehrig didn't miss a day of school in eight years. As an adult, "The boy who never missed a day of grade school became a man who never missed a game."Gehrig finally benched himself "for the good of the team"when his play suffered from the as-yet undiagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS (today also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). Adler also writes of the dignity with which Gehrig faced death. "We have much to be thankful for,"he would write in cards to his friends at a time the disease was rapidly progressing. Accompanying Adler's understated text are Terry Widener's bold acrylic paintings. The stylized art perfectly captures a feeling of the past at the same time it embraces Gehrig's humanity. (Ages 7-11)