You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?!

by Jonah Winter

Legendary baseball manager Casey Stengel worked with such greats as Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle; he led the New York Yankees to a record-breaking TEN pennants and SEVEN World Series in twelve years; he invented “platooning,” a way to use players that revolutionized the game; he was a prankster who became famous for sayings like “Everybody line up alphabetically according to your height.”   The brains behind any baseball team is its manager . . . and here’s a picture-book biography about the best, most beloved and entertaining manager in history!"A first-rate picture book for baseball fans." —Booklist, Starred

Genres: Biography, Sports, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Baseball, Childrens, Biography Memoir

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

Jonah Winter is the celebrated author of many picture book biographies, including Barack, which was a New York Times bestseller. His books include Here Comes the Garbage Barge, Sonia Sotomayor, Roberto Clemente, and more. A poet and a painter, Mr. Winter divides his time between Santa Fe and a small town in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography of Casey Stengel...one of the most interesting figures in the annals of sports history. Great lesson for children on how failure can lead to success if you just keep trying - "The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided."

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?! is a children's picture book written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Barry Blitt. Casey Stengel was a baseball phenomenon and a genuine eccentric.

Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New York Mets. He managed them to ten pennants and seven World Series championships.

Winter's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Winter speaks directly to readers in a colloquial, folksy voice, presenting the salient facts but focusing on Stengel's larger-than-life persona. Blitt infuses his artwork with physical humor and as readers follow Stengel through his highs, lows, and head-scratching in-betweens, they’ll agree that Stengel was one of a kind.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1912, the left-handed, bowlegged, wisecracking character wasn't initially taken seriously due to his pranks. Stengel went on to manage several lackluster teams, but after a very unexpected chance to manage the Yankees, his unconventional tactics proved innovative.

All in all, You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?! is a charming, endearing introduction to a baseball icon.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?! is another picture book in Jonah Winter’s series that revisits earlier baseball eras and makes the players (and managers) accessible to today’s young readers. Casey Stengel was, at first, a player with limited skills. As Stengel himself said, “I was not successful as a ballplayer, as it was a game of skill.” Stengel then built a knowledge base from participating in thousands of baseball games and used it to transform himself into one of the most successful managers of all time. Winter presents insights on managing a baseball team and Stengel’s life in a conversational, humorous tone with echoes of something like a tall tale. Barry Blitt’s illustrations convey a similar tone as he finds a sweet spot between comic depictions and fine water-colors.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulously entertaining narrative story Jonah Winter's voice makes the book a pleasure to read from start to finish!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the previous two "You Never Heard Of...?!" titles focusing on baseball greats Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the author focusing on someone now known for his baseball talents as much as his baseball management skills. Casey Stengel, who led the New York Yankees to seven World Series crowns, was, to say the least, a controversial figure during this time. Born and reared in Kansas City, Missouri, Casey had enough baseball skills to play in the majors, but only enough to keep him playing for 14 years. In fact, as the author explains, his feats on the field were often eclipsed by his antics. When he turns to managing a team and lands in New York, many experts are shocked by management's decision to hire someone considered a joke. As it turns out, perhaps Casey was crazy like a fox, and he tried strategies that others might have doubted. For him, they turned out to be the right decisions. The author captures the flavor of the times--the 1940s and 1950s--perfectly while also offering a few of the odd phrasings for which Stengel is famous. Ultimately, he provides a great example of someone who defied his naysayers and did things his own way. Young readers may want to consider how some of his silliness caused others to doubt him, but it also played to his advantage at other times. The lively text, written with a full appreciation of this eccentric man who was either very, very lucky to be in the right place at the right time or who was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for being, and the illustrations, created with pen-and-ink and watercolors, will surely make readers want to shout, "Play ball!" and head to a baseball field to see or play America's game for themselves. It's wonderful to have a picture book devoted to someone so wacky as Casey Stengel. After all, how many other folks can say they contributed famous turns of phrase to the English language in the way that he did?

[Madeline Coyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?! written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Barry Blitt, I believe could be the next Caldecott winner. The illustrations are wonderfully done, the water colors are subtle making it look rather cartoon like. This cartoon like feel also translates to the words written by Jonah. This light hearted novel tells the story of Casey Stengel and his work as a baseball manager for the New York Yankees. These cartoon like baseball characters are funny. However, the picture of the most honored baseball player in history Babe Ruth is easily identified. The pictures while being humorous are still realistic. The pictures also allow the reader to laugh and enjoy the book. The one page depicts Casey using the players as puppets. This shows that he was in control of everything that happened on the field. He was the grand puppet master telling his players what to do. The end of the book shows the many rings in which Casey had won with his team. Barry had made his hand with 7 fingers to show how many time he had won the World Series. The hand looks abnormally large and shows the impressive feet that Casey had achieved. He was not able to fit all of his rings on one hand! Each ring depicted differently just like the rings would have been though despite, the fact its on a seven fingered hand. The pictures enhance the story and give it more life. The words that Jonah had written were simple and humorous allowing for Barry to use cartoons to enhance the humor of the book. I believe Barry will win the Caldecott award due to his phenomenal cartoon like characters that depict Casey Stengel and his humorous attitude.

[Michael Huscusson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of Casey Stengel shows a man who never gives up on what he loves. When horses were still used for travel, the dreams of becoming a baseball player was in the minds of every boy, including Casey. He gets his first opportunity on a minor league team. After a couple years on this awful team, he starts jumping around my team to team, winning here and there, his career game to a halt. Once his playing days were over, he became a manager for many different teams that didn’t have much of a chance of winning. Then, his chance emerges, to be the manager for the New York Yankees, the best team in baseball. Fans around the world were shocked, putting no faith in Casey. Just when everyone thought there was no way he could win, he led the Yankees to a World Series Championship, which then lead to five in a row. A record that still stands in Major League Baseball today. This book can be a great lesson for teachers at the lower grade levels that are working on vocabulary. The teacher can have a class read aloud, due to the large amount of text in this book. Throughout the book, it uses lots of baseball terminology that many students probably don’t know, even at a higher-grade level. At the end of the book, there is a glossary of baseball terms. By flipping to the back of the book and the story, the students can learn lots of new sports vocabulary. The teacher can instruct students to raise their hand when a term is read that they do not understand. Once that page is finished, the teacher can ask the student what term it was and then go to the glossary to figure out its meaning.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book biography about the colorful NY Yankees manager during their dominant 1950's era. I knew nothing about him so I learned a lot, such as: he spoke in colorful funny quips called Stengelese ("The team has come along slow but fast"), was a prankster during his years as a ballplayer, and did absentminded things like walk onto the field without pants (while managing the Toledo Mudhens, whom I always think of as "Crankshaft's team" :-) Interesting book with caricature-style pen and ink drawings that lend it a lighthearted tone. The only sources listed, though, are websites to find baseball statistics, and those even come with a note that they can be interpreted many ways (!).

[Cindy Dobrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography of the clownish Yankee baseball manager, complete with some of his nonsensical quotes. He and Yogi Berra together must have been something to witness.

I'm a fan of these "You Never Heard of..." baseball biographies by Winter and I like that each is illustrated by a different artist. They have all been perfect for the subject, and Barry Blitt's portray of Casey here is excellent. They don't make 'em like Casey Stengel anymore.

Also, this is a fine tribute to a deep knowledge and study of a personal passion. Stengel knew baseball like Bobby Knight knows basketball.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great non-fiction book for baseball lovers. It tells the story of Casey Stengel, a goofy unsuccessful MLB player who actually becomes an extremely successful manager for the New York Yankees from 1949-1960. The writing style is fun with strong vocabulary to interest stronger young readers. There are great ticket shaped sidebars of information throughout the book with a glossary and website reference page in the back.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be the perfect book for children who love baseball, and learning about some of the people who made baseball great; like Casey Stengel. I appreciated the message in this book lasted a span of years for Casey Stengel, and showed that if you are truly passionate about something, you should absolutely never give up. Perseverance wins every time.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great balance of information and humor, some of which made me laugh out loud. I actually hadn't heard of Stengel until I read this book, but I'm so glad I know about him now. This will appeal to both fans and non-fans of baseball.

[David Freudenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great baseball picture book. Uses authentic baseball terminology and pictures. Biographical without trying to cover his entire life. It is inspiring to read about goofball who got no respect rising to the heights of success due to his own hard work, concentration, and lightheartedness.

[Candace Worrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this one. Engaging writing! Humorous! INtersting illustrations, picking up on the who was series with the larger heads but not cartoony. Also, the illustrations followed closely with the text, inserting a suit wearing dog when it was mentioned in the text. Hate baseball, love this book.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the liveliest nonfiction texts I've ever read! Will definitely use for Reading Week.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit I'd never heard of this guy, but he sounds so fun! The book makes a good point that it takes more than being a ball player to be a good manager.

[Kim Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pictures and quotes. Very entertaining biography.

[Terry Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great picture book biography. I think Winter did a great job of bringing Stengel's voice into the narrative. A terrific book for baseball-loving kids.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this biography about Casey Stengel! When I first picked up this book, I was unsure who he was. Now I understanding who he is and what he did in his sport. I did think the book was really wordy and a little long for students to enjoy. That’s just because I am not too big into baseball.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

if a child is writing a report on Mr Stengel this would be a good reference book for them to us. It was a nice book to read to learn about Mr Stengel. it was written as a story book but had true to life statuses about the teams he managed and true facts about him.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read about an incredible man!

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

[Candice Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was hilarious and insightful and a beautiful tribute to the character of a man that was Casey Stengel.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this humorous biography of baseball legend Casey Stengel, readers are introduced to the mediocre player and then presented with the amazing manager who stood up for himself and his decisions, leading the New York Yankees to consecutive wins. He often was his own worst enemy because he was so goofy. Longish for a picturebook, the illustrations are pen and ink and watercolor and are as fun as the text - don’t miss Stengel in his boxers! Plenty of information within the text itself, with some fun extra tidbits as sidelines. Includes a glossary of baseball terms, online resources and an author’s note, this is a fun addition to your biography section.

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT!

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for the Mock Caldecott Awards. Not one of my favorites because I'm not much of a sports fan but I really liked the watercolor and ink drawings although I thought the faces looked a little awkward. The book was well written and presented quite a bit of very readable historical information. I think this would appeal to any youngsters who were particularly interested in sports, especially baseball.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winter adds to his baseball biographies of classic stars (Koufax and Mays) with this biography of NY Yankee manager Stengle. I'm not sure whether todays readers would see out this story tough he captures Stengel's story with plenty of funny anecdotes, interesting detailed inserts and added information in end pages.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baseball historians may enjoy this, but I found it to be just OK. It doesn't really put his life in the context of American history at the time, and the author's voice is a bit goofy. It seems to fit the subject since Casey Stengel appeared to be a goofball as well, but I thought it didn't read with substance.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really a baseball fan, but this was an interesting book about an apparently important figure in baseball history. An easy read with fun illustrations, this will be a winner with youngsters who LOVE baseball.

[Alexa L]

Baseball book

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview. Stats and "fun facts" like his sayings sprinkled in "tickets" throughout the book.