A helpful baseball primer that’s sure to be a big hit.
A young athlete steps up to the plate.
Tan-skinned Coach Al invites light-skinned, redheaded Lucy to join the team and gives her a uniform, hat, bat, helmet, and glove. The squad warms up with an exciting game of Catch the Coach before practicing hitting and fielding, two critical offensive and defensive skills. Next up is a friendly scrimmage, but uh-oh! Lucy’s afraid of getting hit by a pitch. With her coach’s help, she gets in the right frame of mind to bat and smashes a line drive into the outfield gap, batting in a runner who slides safely into home plate. By the end of the book, as Lucy jumps for joy over her first RBI, the excitement is palpable. The rhyming text is charming and highly informative; a larger font indicates baseball-related terms, many of which are further defined in an appended “Fast Facts!” section. This fast-paced tale covers many aspects of practice and gameplay (the cheery illustrations help clarify various elements of the game), making it an excellent preparation for a first team practice. Lucy’s teammates are racially diverse, and while the text doesn’t mention whether any of the players are disabled, the backmatter mentions Challenger Baseball, an adaptive league designed for people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Publishes simultaneously in French and Spanish. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A helpful baseball primer that’s sure to be a big hit. (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781459834941
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
An early reader that kids will want to befriend.
In an odd-couple pairing of Bear and Chipmunk, only one friend is truly happy to spend the day at the beach.
“Not me!” is poor Chipmunk’s lament each time Bear expresses the pleasure he takes in sunning, swimming, and other activities at the beach. While controlled, repetitive text makes the story accessible to new readers, slapstick humor characterizes the busy watercolor-and-ink illustrations and adds interest. Poor Chipmunk is pinched by a crab, buried in sand, and swept upside down into the water, to name just a few mishaps. Although other animal beachgoers seem to notice Chipmunk’s distress, Bear cheerily goes about his day and seems blithely ignorant of his friend’s misfortunes. The playful tone of the illustrations helps soften the dynamic so that it doesn’t seem as though Chipmunk is in grave danger or that Bear is cruel. As they leave at the end of the book Bear finally asks, “Why did you come?” and Chipmunk’s sweet response caps off the day with a warm sunset in the background.
An early reader that kids will want to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3546-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A holiday outing that doesn’t quite satisfy.
In this follow-up to singer Parton and co-author Perl’s Billy the Kid Makes It Big (2023), literal and figurative bumps in the road imperil the touring canine country star’s promise to be home for Christmas.
Inspired by one of Parton’s holiday songs, the tale sees Billy, a small brown French bulldog, and bandmates Bo, Buster, and Binky boarding a tour bus for “pawsome” glimpses of natural wonders along with meetings with fans and “puparazzi.” Then, although Billy has sent many letters home promising to be there for the holiday, an invitation to play Barkafeller Center on Christmas Day instantly changes his tune. “Billy was happy. Though he still felt a little…he wasn’t sure what.” Readers may be excused for having mixed feelings about his mixed feelings, not to mention his tersely unapologetic note to the folks. But when, thanks to a bus-busting rock in the road on Christmas Eve, it looks like the band will have to contrive their own celebration (“Silent night, howly night”), Billy remembers that he started making music in the first place for his loved ones. He has no problem bagging the big concert (Fans? What fans? Contract? What contract?) when Dolly herself rolls up in her own bus to offer a ride back to his “Tennessee mountain home” in time for a small show for “the most important audience in the world.” While Billy cuts an endearing figure in Haley’s cartoonish illustrations, his willingness to disappoint first family, then fans may have readers feeling less than cheery.
A holiday outing that doesn’t quite satisfy. (lyrics to Parton’s “Comin’ Home for Christmas”) (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593755006
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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