Casey at the Bat

by Ernest L. Thayer, Patricia Polacco (Illustrator)

Overview

“A home-run effort.” —Publisher’s Weekly

Patricia Polacco’s spirited illustrations capture all the fun and action-packed drama of Thayer’s immortal ballad.
 
“The poem is launched with bright, bold illustrations that milk all the humor from the situation…Fresh and funny, this rendition should attract a whole new audience to the poem.” —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698115576
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/17/1997
Series:	All Aboard Books Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	250,357
Product dimensions:	7.94(w) x 10.48(h) x 0.09(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

An undergraduate contributor to the Harvard Lampoon, Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863–1940) took his satiric talents to the San Francisco Examiner at the invitation of his former classmate, William Randolph Hearst. "Casey at the Bat" made its first appearance under a pseudonym in an 1888 issue of the Examiner.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Text, Illustrations

Editorial Reviews

Penned in 1888, Thayer's classic ballad is still as fresh as a rookie pitcher; it has earned its place in the Read-Aloud Hall of Fame. Though the style is slightly formal and young audiences may not catch every word ("upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat"), no one will miss the gist of the tale. With a few brief strokes of his brush, Fitzgerald captures an era-a hat of a certain style, a pair of glasses, the cut of a suit-and his light-dappled acrylics seem aged by a fine patina. He manipulates perspective to wonderful advantage, bringing a sense of movement to the pages: readers are now in the stands, now at third base, now behind the catcher as the mighty Casey prepares to swing at the ball. A home-run effort. Ages 6-10. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3-Thayer's famous poem, presented here in picture-book format, is still fresh and still filled with excitement and suspense. Fitzgerald's colorful, double-spread acrylic illustrations pit the greens and yellows of the field against the bright blue sky. The scenes are softened and blurred by the brushwork, which, along with the players' loose-fitting striped uniforms, infuses the book with the atmosphere of an old-fashioned, hometown game. Casey swaggers through the verses, a Babe Ruth-like figure in command of the crowd until the last terrible moment when he swings and misses. In his illustrations for Jack Norworth's multilayered Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Four Winds, 1992), Alex Gillman uses interesting facts from the history of the sport to add meaning to the poem. This new offering simply illustrates an old bit of popular culture, but it captures the thrill of the game, and baseball fans will enjoy it. It's pure entertainment.-Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ

School Library Journal

[One of the most striking Canadian picture books of the year.

The artist captures the explosive action ? and extends (the poem’s) relevance to a new generation of readers.

Morse’s illustrations ? yank this classic and wonderfully told story out of the realm of nostalgia.

From the Publisher

Morse’s illustrations ? yank this classic and wonderfully told story out of the realm of nostalgia.

The National Post

[One of the most striking Canadian picture books of the year.

Quill and Quire