Growing Up Pedro, behind the scenes in the Dominican Republic

Last year, when I was working on Growing Up Pedro, I traveled to the Dominican Republic to do some research (it was also a family vacation). It was amazing to be able to go out into the countryside and visit places that still look they way they did when Pedro Martinez was a kid. Here are some of the pictures I took during that trip.

We drove up into the mountains, and I snapped pictures of everything- houses, palm trees, mango trees, all the scenery.

We stopped a a little colmado (store) to get some water in the village of El Cupey, and saw some kids playing outside.

When this guy heard I was working on a book about Pedro Martinez, he immediately showed me his batting stance.

This family was so nice, and even invited us right into their home, where their mother was cooking dinner. That's my daughter walking in, exploring a different world. This house is a lot like the one Pedro Martinez lived in when he was growing up.

Mango trees play an important role in Growing Up Pedro, so I spent a lot of time searching for The Perfect Mango Tree. When I saw this one, I knew I had found it.

This is Dani, who did an amazing job posing for me as a young Pedro Martinez.

We enjoyed the trip so much, we decided to go back this year (just for vacation this time). A few days ago, on our last day there, I finally tracked down Dani, the kid who posed as a young Pedro Martinez. Here he is, seeing the book for the first time.