A new series of children’s books, titled The Woodstock All Stars, by local business owner and Little League official Kevin Christofora, aims to stir fresh interest and participation in two beloved but possibly endangered pastimes, baseball and reading.

Written by Christofora and illustrated by fellow Woodstock resident Dale Tangeman, the debut volume in a projected series of 20 books, Nick’s Very First Day of Baseball (ISBN 978-0615578651), is available for $7.99 at the Golden Notebook, at amazon.com, and through Amazon’s self-publishing affiliate, CreateSpace. Amazon is expected to release a downloadable version of the book for its Kindle tablet reader, Christofora noted.

The 28-page paperback seeks to acquaint children aged 3 to 6 (and the parents or grandparents who may read it to them) not only with basic baseball equipment, rules, and lingo, but also with the excitement and anticipation that often attend a kid’s first formal brush with the game — joining a team, donning a uniform, whacking a ball off a tee, and rounding the bases.