Players In Pigtails

by Shana Corey, Rebecca Gibbon (Illustrator)

A tribute to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, created during WWII, this story focuses on one girl's journey to the big leagues.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Sports, Childrens, Baseball, Historical, Fiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing spectacular about the way the story is told and I really was not a fan of the illustrations (just the style of them--they included some nice "background" stuff to situate the story in WWII, though). I was interested to learn that "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is actually supposed to be a girl singing to her boyfriend--that she doesn't want to go dancing, she wants him to take her to the ballgame! ;-p This book would probably be fun for girls who love sports (especially if they are teased because of it--though I think we have evolved out of most of that) or are especially into breakthroughs in women's equality/activities.

[L13_Allison Safran · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Players in Pigtails" is a wonderful historical fiction book about how the first women's baseball team came together. The book is similar to the storyline in the movie "A League of Their Own". The book stars a young girl named Katie Casey who "wasn't good at being a girl".

One critique of this book is that in the beginning the book presents stereotypes of what a girl should be good at and what a girl should not be good at. The book does a nice job of saying that the definition of what made a girl "perfect" was created by the definition of others. The story said that "Her clothing was crumpled. Her knitting was knotted. Her dancing was a disaster." The book continues by saying, "What good is baseball to a girl?"

However, the book does a nice job in the end celebrating that all girls can do whatever they want, even baseball! I think that the stereotypes of what girls should and shouldn't do is a necessary part of the story because the book is historical fiction, and those were truly the viewpoints during these times. I think it could open up an important conversation for students to talk about stereotypes and what we really think today.

Overall, I would use this book for many grade levels in many ways. As a basic history lesson, this book could be used as a tool in any grade level. For discussing stereotypes and analyzing women's rights, I think this book would be an excellent tool for upper elementary and middle school students.

[(NS) Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie Casey is in a league of her own: "She preferred sliding to sewing, batting to baking, and home runs to homecoming." Unfortunately, baseball is not considered ladylike in 1942. Nobody would let Katie play baseball untill ...all the men go to war and fans are getting crazy and mad without their national pastime. Coaches decide to start a women's baseball league. Katie attends try outs and makes the team. It's opening game and the bottom of the ninth, Katie comes up to bat for her team with the bases loaded. The Rockford Peaches are up 9 runs to 6. The first pitch is thrown and crack...

This delightful story portrays the spirit of women and girls who play baseball today. It portrays the pioneering women who played in the first-ever All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940's. It pays tribute to the women who knew that just rooting for the home team wasn't enough, and for having the courage to step up to the plate and PLAY BALL!
The book tells a fictional story, but preserves all the historical events. The illustrations are bright and lively, and depict the 1940's style of women on the move.

This story is appropriate for students in first through forth grades.

[Hannah Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a historical fiction literature piece that tells the story of Katie Casey, a young girl living in the WWII era who refuses to mold to the feminine norms that society wants her to fit into. Instead of sewing, dancing, and baking, Katie just wants to play baseball. When the male baseball players leave to fight in the war, Katie, along with several other young girls, finally get their chance to play ball. This is the story of Katie's journey of playing baseball and how she overcomes gender stereotypes that she is faced with everyday. After digging around a little bit, I found a great educator's guide that was written by the author, Shana Corey, and goes along with this book. The link can be found here: http://www.shanacorey.com/wp-content/.... The educator's guide had a lot of fantastic ideas for creating an interdisciplinary unit around this book, and it includes research, history, writing, reading and math activities. A lot of the activities align with third grade common core standards (CCSS.ELA W 3.7, W3.8 and RI 3.8 to name a few), so this would be a fantastic resource for third grade teachers wanting to plan an interdisciplinary unit.

[Becky Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a young girl named Katie who “isn’t good at being a girl.” She struggles with typical girl normative things like cooking, knitting, dancing, home ec, etc. One thing Katie is good at is baseball. Her parents aren’t happy with her choice of baseball. She still loved going to games, and every season she wanted to try out she got turned away by the boys. The book explains the war during President Roosevelt’s presidency and how men were getting called off to war, and America’s pastime isn’t a pastime if there are no people to play. Then can the idea that “if girls can work in factories, they can play baseball.” Scouts searched all over the country to make teams, and, of course, Katie took advantage of this. The girls made an example showing that they can be perfectly elegant while getting to play baseball. This story offers some historical insight into America’s history while giving true accounts of woman empowerment. These women broke the standard norm for women at the time, and this would be a good read for the classroom. It’s a quick read that offers cute pictures, and offers an empowering message to girls and boys in the classroom.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to a recording of this book and followed along gazing at the pictures approximately 72 times when I was six or so. The story inspired me, the music thrilled me, and the pictures intrigued me. Today I'm terrible at softball, but no one can say I didn't TRY. I recollect spending hours throwing up a ball, swinging at it, missing 50% of the time (but not losing a bit of my enthusiasm). I also threw a softball as far as my skinny arm could launch it, ran to pick it up, heaved it again. Pretty sure I marched through the house with an enormous Webster's balanced on my head too. I need to borrow this from the library and enjoy it again — for old time's same (also because I'm still a six-year-old at heart).

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a fun, engaging, audio book, I listened to on Epic. Katie loved to watch baseball and wanted to play, but only boys were allowed to play. Katie wasn’t the “average girl,” the stereotypes made girls out to be. Will she be able to play? I found this book while browsing on the Wakelet for Historical Fiction. This book has themes of resilience, prejudice and discrimination. I recommend this book for 6-9 year olds. This book would be great for a history lesson talking about what life was like for sports players or Women’s History Month. Since this is an audiobook you could have the students create the cover of the book and do a book review. Students can also compare and contrast their experiences to the story. You could use this book to talk about different stereotypes.

[SarahEmily1990 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely story about combatting sexism. Girls can play baseball!

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story that jumps a bit, but does a nice job of explaining how the women's league came about. Illustrations were well done.

[Kiana Davee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super good for introducing diversity and equality to children!! Loved it!!

[Deania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of the movie A League of Their Own. It is great to find something that you are passionate about. To finally live out your dream with others who want the same thing. At the end of the book there is some extra reading and realized the book was written after the movie. Also to learn new things about the song Take Me Out to The Ball Game, the history of the song was interesting.

[Merri Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! I loved the aspect of real American history linked to the story and the main topic of feminism in regards to sports. I think children need to be exposed to how things were very different for women many years ago and that this is an ongoing problem today.
I would definitely recommend this picture book for children in upper KS1, lower KS2.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baseball is for girls too! Players in Pigtails is about a girl named Katie Casey who played professional baseball during WWII. Katie was not lady like and was not good at "girl" things but was excellent at playing ball. She was scouted out to play along with other women during the WWII for the men were at war. The book explains how although Katie, plus the other women, played baseball, they had to still go to charm school and wear dresses to play. A picture book based on true events and the movie "A League of their Own" has pictures that will capture the little minds of the children who read the story for it will keep them engage and make it easy to follow along while they either read the book on their own or if it is read aloud to them. I feel in love with this book not only because I love the movie, or because I am a softball coach for my daughter's little league team, but because it showed how girls could do anything that boys can and even better! I definitely recommend this book to children of all ages.

[Yuridia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a historical fiction book which was nominated for The Georgia Children’s Book Award written by Shanna Corey. It’s colorful feel and from cover reminded me of the movie a Legue of their own. The author credits the movie as the spark that ignited her curiosity for the sport in the time period. The story is set during WW1 where many men were fighting the war and were too busy to play baseball. Katie was not a “typical” girl and preferred baseball to sewing and baking. She went to profesional games and even tried out for teams but was turned down for being girl. This book tells a story of a persistent girl who went after her passion even though many said she couldn’t accomplish it because she was a girl. This book is great for grades k-2 and for any sport loving boy or girl. This book can teach about the war and the impact it not only had to families but to American sports. By simply opening our minds and persisting great things can happen. The vibrant illustrations described Katie’s personality full of life and not conforming. A great book for all!

[Chrissi Guarnieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a true story about Katie Casey. Katie Casey and the AAGBBL or All American Girls BaseBall League became America's Pastime during WWII while the men were off at war. They brought joy to a very dark time in history. This book draws a beautiful picture for children and adults who may not be aware of this historical and short-lived league. It shows how and why the league was developed, and follows Katie Casey through her exciting journey to do something she never dreamed would happen, play professional baseball in an all women league. If someone tells you you can't or shouldn't do something because your a girl, follow your heart like Katie Casey, success is right around the corner.
Biography

[Jerrica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with this book! I think it's such an amazing way to show young children especially girls that gender shouldn't determine someone's ability to do anything. I felt that people were so judgmental in this book because they weren't given something to shut them up. I kind of relate to this book because when I wanted to play tennis, people thought that I wouldn't be good but in actuality I was decent my first year because I played volleyball which made my serving above and beyond. This book is a great way to teach children to not judge a book by it's cover and see what's inside.

On the end pages, i found it cute how there were pictures of girl baseball players which was a foreshadowing that there was going to be a game going on due to the different uniform being worn. It was also intriguing how the author added their version of the "Take me out to the ball game" song. In the back of the end papers, there's and author's note which was pretty fun to read. On one of the pages more towards the end, it said, "The bases were loaded and Katie Casey was at bat," as i looked at the illustrations, all i saw was Katie ready to bat but the bases were NOT loaded which made me laugh because the illustrator did not read the text carefully to incorporate what was happening.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Rainbow: Game Day
Sports are really not our thing so I didn't have much expectations reading this but I was pleasantly suprised with the pretty engaging story of the beginnings of the female baseball league. It was an odd combination of facts and fiction and it was a bit unsatisfying because of that. Also, one point off for drawing the girl from Texas standing in front of saguaros. That might just be my pet peeve, but there are NO SAGUAROS in Texas. Not in New Mexico either.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick-to-read picture book is a lot of fun! Cute illustrations. Katie Casey struggles with all things girly but loves baseball. When World War II breaks out, she shows her skills as a member of the All-American Girls Professional League. In the Author's Note I learned that Katie Casey is the subject of the famous song, Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

[Rachel]

How to write about historical information and make it personal and fascinating to a reader. About women in a baseball!

[Valerie Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with introducing us to Katie Casey, a girl who wasn’t good at being a girl. She couldn’t dance and she couldn’t knit. She was not living up to society and she didn’t want to do the same activities as other girls. However she was good at baseball, she was one of the best. She showed up every year to baseball tryouts, and was always turned away without a chance. During the war Mr. Wrigley set out to recruit women to play in the first All American Girls Baseball league. Since the country didn’t sound like it was ready for this, they signed the girl players up for charm school to show how “ladylike” baseball was. The first game was full of laughs until they started playing, then Katie stepped up to bat.

The visual elements of this book consist of cartoonish outlines to identify the characters. This is intriguing for young readers, because it reflects similar styles they may see in other book they read. Throughout the story it also depicts well known places such as, Wrigley Field in Chicago. Children can use this book to educate themselves about, the historical event of the first girl baseball team through simple language. Another visually appealing element is the type of font used throughout the book. The text expands upon the entire page and at times surrounds the illustrations, which causes the reader to look more to the text to gather all the information. The backdrops are also white, so the illustrated building and people stand out more. The text also increases at times which helps exaggerate the word being used, and adds emotion to the story. One of the symbols throughout the book for Kasey is her baseball cap. This represents who she is as a person, and where her goals are. This message can be received as being who you are, no matter what others think.


This book is a good representation of historical fiction, because it illustrates women’s rights during the war which is a popular historical topic. During this time women began working and were recognized as equals in the work force. Children can learn about a time in history most people don’t know about, and it shows throughout the book how society changed their mindsets about women. I believe this book works well for young readers, because of the easy vocabulary and illustrations. However it may bring up questions about the war, or why women were expected to do certain things like sewing and dancing. If used during a lesson or appropriately, it would make a great read for the improvement of women’s rights!

[Meagan Paschal · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former travel softball player, high school varsity softball player, and collegiate softball player, the history of the All-American Girls Baseball League has a special place in my heart. When I discovered this picture book, I could not resist reading it!

“Players in Pigtails” follows a fictional character named Katie Casey, and her journey to become a baseball player during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Before WWII started, Katie found herself denied from the opportunity to play baseball, and when she tried to conform to societal expectations of being a lady, she struggled to fit in. Katie tried to play baseball, but her parents often suggested more activities that were considered “more ladylike.” But Katie did not give up.

As the United States became involved in WWII, men from across the county (including professional baseball players) were leaving their jobs to fight overseas. America’s pastime struggled, as teams did not have enough players to continue the league. Baseball owners recognized women’s efforts to work in factories, and thought women could play baseball as well. Scouts were sent out across the country to find women baseball players, and they were not disappointed!

Katie’s perseverance finally pays off, and she is recruited to play professional baseball. Despite the crowd’s sexist comments on opening day, the girls play baseball just as well as the men, and the crowd loved it. Katie finally achieved her dream of playing baseball, and was able to bring enjoyment to a country enthralled in war.

This historical fiction picture book serves as an excellent way to depict women’s efforts in the United States during WWII. While many women filled the men’s shoes of working in factories, others provided a welcome distraction (like baseball) to Americans troubled by the war. I plan to use this book in my future classroom during Women’s History Month, and when the topic of WWII is taught. Students could be given the opportunity to research the other ways women got involved in the war effort (both at home and on the front lines), and could present their findings to the class. Students could also research specific teams from the All-American Girls Baseball League, and make posters advertising the teams.

This book is a must have for teachers whose curriculum focuses on WWII and is a great addition to any library grades three and higher!

[Scarlett Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a historical fiction book about the first ever All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It starts of describing the main character Katie Casey, a girl who isn't like other girls. She's bad as sewing, dancing, cooking, but she was good at baseball. That's all she talked about, all she wanted to do. Every year she would try out for her home team, each year rejected without even a try out. As the nation hit hard times, with more and more join the war, baseball was slowly diminishing. In order to keep this pastime alive, Phillip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs came up with the idea of girls playing baseball. Cause if they can fight and work in factories, they can play ball. He sent out scouts all over the country looking for girls who can play. Those girls were brought to Chicago for try outs. Society still wasn't convinced, so Mr. Wrigley had the girls play specially-made dress, and attended charm school. When it was time for opening day, they were still people mocking, until they say how good they played. People were fascinated and enjoying watching girls play baseball.

We know this book is historical fiction, because of how the characters acted during that time period. This book was set during World War II, so women were sewing, baking, and raising money for our troops. Girls got laughed at for playing sports, being told that "what good is baseball to a girl". Then when more and more men got shipped out to war, the President wanted to keep this American pastime alive, so girls were allowed to play, but were still looked on with hesitation. The book has an authors note, telling us about how the history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League came to be, and how Mr. Wrigley got it started, sent out for players, made them play in dresses even though it was inconvenient. How the girls had to go to charm school, have their hair constantly done, wear lipstick even when playing ball, had chaperones that enforced a curfews and what they ate and what they could socially. When the men came back, the girls league slowly got dissolved. The illustrations were done in watercolor and colored pencil. The colors are more brighter and colorful, giving the book a more cheerful and happy tone. The end-pages are green and feature pictures of female ball players as well as feature songs such as "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and "Victory Song". The writing is authentic to the 1940's. The book reminded me of the movie "A League of their Own" featuring Tom Hanks, about the first ever girls' baseball league. Which is where Shana Corey got the inspiration for this book as well as the song "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" which was about a girl. This book did a really good job of explaining the history of the first ever Girl Baseball League.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There's no crying in baseball!" Raise your hand if you can name that movie... That's what I thought! Tons of people know A League of Their Own. Unfortunately, not nearly as many people know much about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League… Fortunately, my wonderful dad (who was my baseball coach when I was a little girl playing baseball with the boys) bought me Players in Pigtails my first year teaching. Fifteen years later, I'm thrilled to say that I still love this book and am so glad to be able to read it with my own girls.
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Players in Pigtails is a fictionalized story of a girl named Katie who loved baseball, but didn't love the things girls in the early 1940s were supposed to love. Katie even attempted to try out for her high school's baseball team, but she was never given a chance to play. That is, until World War II left baseball teams in need of players. Through both the story and the illustrations, Corey and Gibbon incorporate many conversations starters about history, such as diversity (or lack thereof), World War II, drafts, home economics, gender stereotypes, and many more! Corey also includes an "Author's Note" with information about her inspiration for this book and more information about the history of the AAGPBL.
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My copy lost its dust jacket long ago, but the hard cover itself features wonderful images of girls playing baseball. The endpapers include lyrics to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and "Victory Song" (the anthem of the AAGPBL). The copyright information is even printed in the shape of a baseball diamond!
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Corey's fictional main character is named Katie Casey. Did you know that the 1st and 3rd verses of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game?" refer to Katie Casey, a girl who was "baseball mad" and asked her date to take her to a baseball game instead of a movie?
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If you liked this, check out:
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story
Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story

[Hannah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there were some embellishments, this story is very convincing that it really could have happened. Even though Katie is not a real woman who took part in the movement of women into baseball, there were many women like her who just wanted to play in the game and weren’t interested in the same things as other girls. The facts mentioned in the story also make this fictional story more believable and add more credibility to this historical fiction piece. The language and style of writing in this book were simple, yet they conveyed the message of the book very well. There really was no need for heavy figurative language because the narration of the story was easy to follow and gave the perfect insight as to the setting, characters and plot. Katie is a great protagonist because she represents what any girl who would try to break from the mold would be like in an instance like this. The story even develops the idea that Katie does not fit in with the typical societal norms of World War II times in America, so this was a great way to develop her character and really make her stick out of the mold. Katie is a great protagonist because she represents what any girl who would try to break from the mold would be like in an instance like this. The story even develops the idea that Katie does not fit in with the typical societal norms of World War II times in America, so this was a great way to develop her character and really make her stick out of the mold. This book can be used in the classroom when discussing the time period of WWII and even when discussing the Women’s Rights Movement.

[RLL22017 Jackie Reynoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is an engaging and very educational picture book about how and why the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed by the owner of the Chicago Cubs. It illustrates a teenage girl named Katie Casey who wasn’t good at being a girl. She did not enjoy knitting, dancing, or baking. Her parents even tried to convince her to take piano or painting lessons but she was only interested in doing one thing, and that was playing baseball. She loved baseball so much that she even dreamed of it. Every spring, she tried to sign up for her Highschool’s baseball team, but she was always turned down without even given her a chance to prove to them that she was good. During the 1940’s, many people thought that baseball was a masculine sport only, so girls that played were considered to be unfeminine. It wasn’t until everyone started to notice that due to the war the country was facing, they were losing their national pastime because all the men were going away to fight. For that reason, Phillip Wrigley decides to send some of his scouts to find young girls who love to play baseball to form the first and only girl’s professional baseball league. They traveled all over the country and were able to recruit many girls including Katie Casey. Excellent story that encourages children to always follow their dreams. It also offers several learning opportunities regarding gender stereotypes, self-confidence, WWII, President of the U.S., and of course baseball or other sports. Recommended for Kindergarten – 5th grade.

[Lauren Labrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a children's historical fiction picture book. It starts off with a young independent girl who isn't your "ordinary girl". She doesn't enjoy the daily activities the other girls enjoy. She loves baseball and she's really good at it. She hears the same, "what good is baseball to a girl" over and over from everyone around her. That doesn't stop her though. She's going to follow her dream and no one can stop her. One day, she took an amazing opportunity to prove everyone wrong. In the end, her passion and love for baseball shined through.
This book is a really good book and I used to love reading it as a kid. It's so inspirational. The title and the book cover were originally what caught my eye. The fact that you never really hear about professional women baseball teams just really stood out to me and were shown through the title and cover page. I really like the pictures in this book as well, because they explain what you're reading. The images enhance the text. They were also simple yet detailed and they looked like they were colored using pastels and crayons. I chose this book because I like how the story is about strong female characters following their dreams. I think the character and the setting work together to create the meaning of the book because the setting takes place in a time where women didn't usually play sports, especially baseball, but here are these women breaking the norms and following their passion and love for the game. Katie is strong and independent and won't take no for an answer. She knew that if she was persistent, then one day she'd have her chance to play. I think this is the perfect book for all children. This book is happy, and inspires people to follow their hearts.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Players in Pigtails is a sassy read about how women got started in baseball. It starts off telling the story of how Katie Casey wasn't a "typical" girl and how she enjoyed baseball. She would try out for the boys' team yet got turned down each time. Since it was during wartime, the men were away so eventually Mr. Wrigley suggested that women be given a chance to play baseball too. To find out the rest, read Players in Pigtails!


I enjoyed this book as the illustrations were simple yet enjoyable to look at and I learned something new. The only downside to it was how they spoke of Katie and that she "wasn't good at being a girl". The stereotypes of how a girl should and shouldn't act somewhat deterred me from reading the book but I kept going and eventually it finished up talking about how girls can do anything they set their minds to which led me to change my mind about it. This book uses onomatopoeia at the very end when Katie hits the ball. The word "crack" is used to represent the sound the bat makes when it makes contact with the ball. The style of illustrations was cartoon and the tones of the book were muted and earthy tones. The illustrator also made use of the pages by framing the last picture with curved edges and leaving white space in the background. On another couple of pages the multiple female players were drawn with tiny backgrounds or just by themselves with no background. These variations made the illustrations more interesting as the illustrator weren't all just using up the whole page each time.

[Lauren]

Imagine you were born with a gift, a talent, but were forced to hide it and were not allowed to share your gift with the world. This was the life of Katie Casey, protagonist of the book Players in Pigtails. Katie is a girl living in the USA in 1942 with a passion for America’s pastime: baseball. Katie is knocked out of the park when she finds out she has been selected to join the country’s first national all-women’s baseball team (inspired by Phillip Wrigley's real life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II). At the big game when the bases are loaded, will Katie hit the home run, or will she strike out? This title focus primarily on the societal gender expectations of girls and women of the time, 1942, and the true story of how women proved to the whole country that they could do it all. Reminiscent of the film “A League Of Their Own”, this picture book has overarching themes of feminism, bullying, and overcoming adversity. Author Shana Cory delivers an inspiring piece of historical fiction that conveys the honest reality of women’s history in a way that is appropriate and relatable for young readers (about ages 4-8 years old), which can be a challenge when it comes to historical fiction for children. Rebecca Gibbon’s illustrations do a wonderful job of setting the tone as well as the time period of the story in her own adorable, animated, and vibrant artistic style.

[Tatam Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Shana Corey's "Players in Pigtails" the main character, undoubtedly a girl, is unlike most. She is less worried about her appearance, and more so with her hobbies. What sets her apart from most is her interest in baseball. In Corey's story the main character takes on the challenge of overcoming social norms, and perseus her love for the male dominant sport. Regarding the story line I was surprised at the gender dilemma that Corey was trying to break. I found it very interesting to see how a female author took on the challenge of defying the rules placed by society on sports, and I appreciated the struggles that the main character was put through. The illustrations in the book I believe impacted the story strongly. In most of the illustrations the attention to detail made the story easier to relate to as elements such as environment, and facial expressions were greatly prioritized. Along with the visual effects on the story, overall the historical context is emphasized. This story was written to reflect the time period surrounding WWII and how males were dominant in sports. So for Corey to go head on with this issue is one of the reasons why I found this book to be so impactful. All in all I enjoyed the book for various reasons. One being that I am a fan of baseball/softball myself, and secondly the confidence it may give other female readers.

[Andi Blodgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie Casey is an all-American girl with a love for America’s favorite pastime: baseball. While living in the 1940s US, most people thought she was terrible at being a lady. She is not interested in baking or knitting; she just wants to play ball. When American enters World War II and all the men are called off to serve, the girls who like to get down and dirty on the baseball diamond just might have their chance to shine.

“Players in Pigtails” is the story of a fictional girl named Katie Casey who plays in a very real league, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The illustrations, in a fun, cartoon style, capture the feel of the 1940s and even show the type of uniforms the girls had to wear while playing ball. The text bolds words and phrases meant to capture the reader’s attention. The author included the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” where Katie Casey is first meantime’s as being an avid baseball lover. Although Katie is not a real person, the story details a very interesting and important part of American history. Children and adults will love this fun tale, and it may inspire them to watch “A League of Their Own,” the movie that inspired the author to write this book.