Review by Booklist Review
Inspired by Ernest Thayer's poem Casey at the Bat, Preller takes readers out to the ball game in this case, a Little League ball game. As the Delmar Dogs enter the field, the expectations of the crowd (mostly parents) are low. While The Dogs had guts / and the Dogs had heart /. . . catching the baseball, well, / that was the hardest part. Of all the players, one, Casey Jenkins, is the worst. Various mishaps occur as the game gets underway: Omar scraped a knee / Ronald the runt had to pee (and does so in the outfield). Cordell's cartoon-style illustrations add comic punch as players climb trees, fall asleep, are stung by bees, and refuse to run the bases. Witnessing this mess, Casey finds the motivation to inspire his teammates, and when the dust settles on the diamond, he's saved the day. With engaging read-aloud rhythms and a misfit cast young children will cheer for, this story is assured a place in (Little League) baseball lore.--Cox, Ernie Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Reworking Ernest Thayer's poem "Casey at the Bat" for Little Leaguers, Preller (Along Came Spider) and Cordell (Righty & Lefty) knock out a spirited celebration of a team with the right attitude, if not skills. The Delmar Dogs have not had a good season: "Yes, it's true, the Dogs had guts,/ and the Dogs had heart;/ but catching the baseball, well/ that was the hardest part." Even on a team of misfits "one player stood out": Casey Jenkins ("the worst by far, no doubt"). But it's Casey who proclaims, during a game that seems as doomed as the rest, "The game is not yet done!" spurring his team on to their first victory. Preller's couplets are full of clever wordplay and humor ("When Jinn Lee clubbed a homer,/ the fans stood and cheered./ The Dogs scored at last./ Said Lee, 'That's, like, sooo weird'Å"). Set against ample white space, Cordell's endearingly geeky kids take center stage (mid-game distractions include tree-climbing, a bee sting and a bathroom break on the left field fence). It's hard to envision a reader who won't take to these underdogs. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Casey Jenkins plays for the Delmar Dogs. They are the worst team in the league, and Casey is their worst player. Nonetheless, these kids try hard, and are supported by their parents. "For the loyal moms and dads,/the games were not easily enjoyed;/it was tough to watch their eager pups/so mercilessly destroyed." One game starts off so badly that the Dogs are down 5-0 in the first inning. There's a scraped knee, spilled juice, and the guy in left field has to pee. One player falls asleep in the dugout, one climbs a tree, another is stung by a bee. Things are looking bad. Then the action picks up and actual plays start to happen. When the score is tied, and bases are loaded, Casey comes up to bat. Does this sound familiar? The ink and watercolor drawings vary in size and are full of energy and movement as the players engage in different activities. The faces are expressive and fun to look at. This is a great baseball book for all those T-ball and Little League players out there. (Spoiler alert: it does have a happy, self-esteem-building ending.)-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This happy-ending retelling of Thayer's famous poem will by appreciated by young baseball players and their long-suffering relatives on the sidelines. Cordell's humorous cartoony illustrations of players flubbing catches, whiffing pitches, and ignoring balls largely compensate for the text's uneven rhythm. Casey (who "was the worst by far") scores the winning run; a sweet victory. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
As a writer of verse, Preller, author of Six Innings (2008), makes an excellent prose novelist. His rhymed tale of a Little League nonhitter who lights a fire in his team of total losers shows plenty of heart, if shaky scansion. Winless for the season and trailing five-zip in the first inning, it looks like just another long day for the Delmar Dogs"Omar scraped a knee; / grape juice spilled on Lapinski's shoe; / Ronald the runt had to pee, / and figured left field would do"but with urging from no-hit, no-field Casey (a lefty, as it happens), the team puts on a rally, and it's Casey's hit with the bases loaded that brings victory within grasp. Cordell's simply drawn cartoons of geeky, distracted children sporting oversized batting helmets suit this lightweight remake of a certain famous baseball ballad, and if the author doesn't quite recapture the original's tone or suspense (or ending), he may get young readers and their parents who take the game a little too seriously to lighten up a touch. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
