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Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888
The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:The score stood four to two
with but one inning more to play....
Since 1888 Casey at the Bat,has been read and loved by baseball fans around the world. Now Mighty Casey has been brought to life by celebrated illustrator C. F. Payne, who captures the old-fashioned fun of an afternoon at the ballpark for a brand-new g
Hardcover
Published
1988
by Putnam Publishing Group
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I read this only because Patricia Polacco illustrated it and also wrote additional text, the story portion to make it be about Little League. I’ve recently been reading my way through all of her books,; all the others she illustrates and writes in their entirety. That’s the only reason that I read this book.
I love baseball but I’ve never been particularly fond of this poem, which here is subtitled A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888.
In this edition, Polacco really makes this book her...more
I love baseball but I’ve never been particularly fond of this poem, which here is subtitled A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the Year 1888.
In this edition, Polacco really makes this book her...more
Jun 07, 2012
Theo Logos
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-young-adult,
baseball
If you love and appreciate baseball not only as a sport, but also as poetry in motion and a metaphor for the American experience, then this is a book that you simply must have. Formatted as clippings from an old-time newspaper contained within a scrapbook with other mementos, it never once steps out of character - front and back dust-cover blurbs, thanks and acknowledgements, editor's notes, dedication, all the way down to publisher's information, ISBN and Library of Congress data all maintain t...more
Title: Casey at The Bat
Author: Christopher Bing
Genre: Folklore
Summary: Baseball fans and teammates place their confidence in one batter to save the day.
A. The illustrations are critiqued
B. The classic tale is told through detailed black and white drawings. The illustrations on the front and back cover mimic an old style leather binder, and set the stage for the time period and atmosphere of the 1880's baseball era. The illustrations also set the stage for this story through the depiction of each...more
Author: Christopher Bing
Genre: Folklore
Summary: Baseball fans and teammates place their confidence in one batter to save the day.
A. The illustrations are critiqued
B. The classic tale is told through detailed black and white drawings. The illustrations on the front and back cover mimic an old style leather binder, and set the stage for the time period and atmosphere of the 1880's baseball era. The illustrations also set the stage for this story through the depiction of each...more
The original poem “Casey at the Bat” written by Ernest L. Thayer was first published in the San Francisco Examiner in June of 1888. It tells of the how the much revered Casey struck out in the crucial moments of a baseball game. In this Caldecott Honor version by Christopher Bing, the poem is enhanced by the old fashioned scrapbook motif. It is complete with the torn and yellowed edges of newspaper clippings that relate to various baseball stories of the era as well as equipment sales. Bing incl...more
With all the versions of this ballad by different illustrators, it can get a bit confusing. Gerald Fitzgerald's rendition in acrylic is very pleasing. This soft style gives a feel of looking back in time through an autumn haze to this one baseball game. The ballplayers are everyday guys, the crowd seems to be at a rural stadium, and his capture of the action and perspective of field play is skillful. Casey towers a little bigger, but his hatless trudge back to the dugout after his world-famous s...more
Casey at the Bat is a tale of a baseball team who is depending on Casey. He is the star and the team and fans know he is going to win the game for them. Everyone is cheering him on and they expect him to step up to the plate and score. When he steps up to bat a strike is called and everyone yells at the umpire. Everyone is so excited and they know Casey can save the day and be the superstar player they know him to be. In the end Casey strikes out and all the joy in Mudville is gone. This is a re...more
It's easy to see why Christopher Bing won a Caldecott Honor for this one. His attention to detail is simply amazing. Bing designed the entire book to look like an old-fashioned scrapbook with articles and illustrations that look as if they came from period newspapers and baseball memorabilia of the time. Make sure you read more than just the poem - all of the baseball extras, including the extra articles giving details about proposed changes in baseball at the time are very interesting. I partic...more
Illustrated like an old baseball scrapbook, this Caldecott honor book will put readers smack dab in the middle of a fictional baseball game. The reader will sympathize with the crowd, cheer with the crowd, and root for Casey up until the end. Casey is their last hope to win the game, and this confident player knows how to work the crowd.
Even though I'm not a baseball fan, I truly enjoyed this book. I think, in a sense, everyone loves rooting for the underdog! I also love the words and the poetr...more
Even though I'm not a baseball fan, I truly enjoyed this book. I think, in a sense, everyone loves rooting for the underdog! I also love the words and the poetr...more
The timelessness of baseball is evidenced in this repackaging of a poem first published in 1889. Baseball fans will delight in the aspects of the game that have changed, which Bing craftily interweaves through newspaper clippings. The illustrator presents the poem against a pseudo-newspaper backdrop that appears convincingly real. Although the artifacts were created by the author, he claims to have made every attempt to accurately reflect the issues of 1889. The yellowed newspaper and black "ink...more
The poem is does a good job of telling the story by using descriptive words. It also exposes children to poetry through the topic of baseball which is already popular with children. This book might then help children discover an appreciation for poetry and thus encourage them to read more poems in the future. The scrapbook-style of illustrations in the book makes the picture book original and stand-out from the others. The newspaper clippings and other memorabilia are added to the page, allowing...more
Sep 07, 2011
Sarah-Rae Bugayong
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
caldecott
This book is the perfect combination of being a little bit sad and finishing out happy. It is about an old school baseball star regaining his glory. It something both children and baseball lovers can both read. What interested most about this book was the illustrations. I'm not really a big baseball fan but I was absolutely captivated by this book. The cover gives off the sense that its going to be a historical story but the pages and all the pictures really show it. I love how it was set up lik...more
There are many picture book versions of the classic poem, this is perhaps the best. One can appreciate why it was selected as a Caldecott Honor Book because the nuance and detail in the illustrations is without peer when compared to similar titles. I love the inclusion of notable and not-so notable figures from Christopher Bing's life, including Henry Louis Gates, Chris Van Allsburg and Gil Barrett, the illustrator's brother-in-law, who served as the model for Bing's Casey. The book is well exec...more
This book was great! It was a really good story especially for elementary school children. I like that at the end Casey struck out because it teaches children that winning isn't everything and even the best can strike out. By the end of the book even I thought Casey was going to win it because the author built it up so much. Most books would have made Casey win and be the hero of the game but there is value in losing too and many children don't learn that lesson. The pictures were really detaile...more
Feb 18, 2009
Krysten
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-lit-books
Summary: A town's hopes to win a baseball game rest upon their star player, Casey. He finally gets up to bat, strikes twice by letting the ball fly by, and in the end strikes out though he swings brutally.
Evaluation: I think this poem is really amusing in the dashed hopes of the people. They only had faith in one player (essentially putting all their eggs in one basket), and because of that they lose and are disappointed. I love how Bing illustrated this like a newspaper, complete with complemen...more
Evaluation: I think this poem is really amusing in the dashed hopes of the people. They only had faith in one player (essentially putting all their eggs in one basket), and because of that they lose and are disappointed. I love how Bing illustrated this like a newspaper, complete with complemen...more
This might not be everyone's cup of tea; a lot of people just don't care for books that illustrate a single poem and I understand that. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed both the illustrations and ephemeral details that Bing added to the layout. The pictures of money, calling cards, tickets, and advertisements added an interesting and fun way to think about the day Casey struck out in 1888.
Recommended for students in grades 3 - 5, this is a good way to incorporate a close reading of the text...more
Recommended for students in grades 3 - 5, this is a good way to incorporate a close reading of the text...more
I loved this book! I remember my father reading it to me when I was younger, so when I went into Barns and Noble and rediscovered it I was thrilled.
It is a short story about a baseball game, written as a poem. I loved this story because they end was not what you expected it to be, and it even builds anticipation as it goes on! Not to mentioned I loved the art work in this book, the drawings are beautiful! It looks kind of looks like your reading a newspaper from the 1800's.
When I rediscovered...more
It is a short story about a baseball game, written as a poem. I loved this story because they end was not what you expected it to be, and it even builds anticipation as it goes on! Not to mentioned I loved the art work in this book, the drawings are beautiful! It looks kind of looks like your reading a newspaper from the 1800's.
When I rediscovered...more
Designed to look like an old scrapbook complete with old newspaper clippings, this is the story of hero Casey who strikes out at a high stakes baseball game. Newspaper clippings tie into the action presented in text and pictures on each 2 page spread. Pictures are in black and white while newspaper clippings are "yellowed" with age. Illustrations make the reader feel like they're in the crowd at the game given all the unique angles and views presented. The overall experience of this book is like...more
I’m not one to pick up poetry often. I am also not a huge sports fan, especially baseball. I will be the first to admit it but this poem was actually quite good. The illustrations were astonishingly good too for a poetry book. Ken Bachaus brought life to the baseball game and I enjoyed the yellow and brown pastels pictures. They were very detailed and creative. I also enjoyed the story. I was fun and exciting and you wanted so badly for Casey to get a chance to bat. Casey up to the plate and he...more
A poem that was really popular at one time, this tale is a puzzler. It captures the feverish spirit of Americans and the love for the all-American game. And yet it is, ultimately, the story of a LOSER! Why, then, does it remain so popular among the poetic genre?
In this re-imagining, we get a new feel for the tale, one that emphasizes everything that’s at stake. Here, Casey isn’t some well-honed and trained professional but KC, a young ghetto boy, a potential star, with everything riding on this...more
In this re-imagining, we get a new feel for the tale, one that emphasizes everything that’s at stake. Here, Casey isn’t some well-honed and trained professional but KC, a young ghetto boy, a potential star, with everything riding on this...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Casey at the Bat is a book by Ernest Lawrence Thaver and illustrated by Christopher Bing. It is about the last inning of a baseball game, and how the Mudville nine team is down in the game, but they have hope that they might win if the star player, Casey, is able to come to bat. Their hope is in Casey as he comes to bat with the bases loaded. The first pitch is thrown and a strike is called, the second pitch is called and another strike is called; the town is in uproar for the umpire calling str...more
Apr 16, 2010
Typhani
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books,
sports
Summary: Casey at the Bat is a baseball poem. It is about a baseball game, where one team is down in a town called Mudville. The fans pin all of their hopes on a player named Casey, who apparently has a good batting record and who they feel can save the game. But, two players are up before him, who they don't have hope in. To everyone's surprise, the two players before Casey get on base, on 2nd and 3rd, so there is hope of winning when Casey steps up. he poem ends with Thayer have set up all of...more
Sep 08, 2011
Jennesy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-award,
determination,
contemporary,
historical-fiction,
informational,
picture-book,
poetry,
sports,
baseball
I loved this book! It had me curious and hanging on until the very end. I particularly loved the illustrations, it had an authentic look to it which was refreshing. I liked the fact that it rhymed, it made reading it easier for some reason. I felt that the books moral was that no matter how good you are and how much you are loved you can lose or strike out, like Casey did. This moral could be used in a lot of different ways, so, I like that it has a wide variety of lessons I could choose from.
Springtime is special. The breaking of the weather means the ballplayers come north from the Grapefruit (and Cactus) League. It's a glorious time.
I celebrate this ritual annually with the traditional reading of this American classic! I love "Casey at the Bat".
Reading of the Mudville nine puts a smile on my face. I read this with my students and my children each spring. The way things fell this year, we waited until after the season began. But it meshed well with our classroom poetry exploration....more
I celebrate this ritual annually with the traditional reading of this American classic! I love "Casey at the Bat".
Reading of the Mudville nine puts a smile on my face. I read this with my students and my children each spring. The way things fell this year, we waited until after the season began. But it meshed well with our classroom poetry exploration....more
Casey at the Bat has been a favorite poem of mine since childhood, and it is now one of my favorite poems to read aloud. The illustrations by Christopher Bing in this version, however, take it to a whole new level. The details are phenomenal and the students are stunned that these are illustrations and not photographs. They really help to bring this classic poem to life for a new generation. Recommended for all ages to share together.
Year published: 2000
Grade Level: All
This version of the popular poem has spectacular illustrations to go along with the story. I have always loved this poem and loved sharing it with my group because it has so much meaning for those of us who love baseball. Since I am a Cubs fan, I feel I can really relate to the feeling of the fans when their favorite player and the one who is most likely to succeed actually strikes out!
Grade Level: All
This version of the popular poem has spectacular illustrations to go along with the story. I have always loved this poem and loved sharing it with my group because it has so much meaning for those of us who love baseball. Since I am a Cubs fan, I feel I can really relate to the feeling of the fans when their favorite player and the one who is most likely to succeed actually strikes out!
I love baseball and this poem is one of my favorites. Patricia Polacco illustrates this version of the classic poem with some added text. The added text gives the story the context of a little league game. I think that the added text gives the story a better context for reading with children. Polacco adds a moral to this story hoping to teach children not to count their runs before they are hit. 3 Stars.
In elementary school young boys are often into sports. This would be a great book to share with young children, and have older children read alone, or aloud. Baseball is something that is common amoung boys and girls these days. The way that the book is layed out, like a scrapbook, is such a creative way to do things! I would reccomend this book for kidnergarten to 5th graders.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a such a fun poem, and it even has a unexpected ending, since Casey is described as the best of the best. The illustrations are great too, they really complement the text. I know I enjoyed this poem greatly when I was young, so I'm sure kids will enjoy it now too. I would definitely recommend this book.
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Ernest Lawrence Thayer was an American writer and poet who wrote "Casey at the Bat".
More about Ernest L. Thayer...
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Dec 26, 2009 11:21am
Dec 26, 2009 11:57am