Get the Ball, Slim

by Marcia Leonard, Dorothy Handelman (Photographer)

Tim and Jim like to play ball with their dog, Slim. But when Jim hits the ball hard, look out!

Genres: Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Marcia Leonard has worked as an editor, agent, publicist, project manager, book packager, and consultant—all in the field of children’s literature. She’s the author of over ninety books for young children and was co-owner of Small Packages, Inc., which produced over 150 titles for publishing clients. She helped Dilys Evans organize and mount the first Original Art exhibitions at the Master Eagle Gallery, then rejoined the show at the Society of Illustrators in 2004.

Reviews

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get the Ball, Slim is a great book for very beginning readers. Tim and his twin Jim are two real kids who want to play ball with their dog Slim. When they hit their ball too far, Slim has to chase it down and find it. I love the photographs that are in this book - they are vivid, clear, full of emotion and so real.

Part of me asks, what crazy family calls their kids Tim and Jim, and their dog Slim? But this is important for kids who are working on reading certain patterns. The text contains short, easy words - both with phonics patterns and site words. Here's the text from the first 10 pages - it's spread out with lots of pictures, and is easier for new readers to tackle.

I am Tim.
My twin is Jim.
We play ball with our dog Slim.
I get my mitt, the ball and bat. I get the dog....
Jim gets his hat.

This is a great series that shows children of today. I really want to see Best Friends. Here's what School Library Journal says about it: "Best Friends, the most successful title, includes two girls who describe their differences and similarities, concluding with a statement of strong friendship."