8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4 1/2 A Screwball Twist on a Classic Story, February 19, 2008
As Spring training approaches, many kids will focus on the game of baseball. Adults, nostalgic about the sport in its more pristine state, may grab a DVD of "Field of Dreams," or search for a version of Ernest Thayer's classic ballad, "Casey at the Bat." `Casey' has been re-tooled many times, most notably by Patricia Polacco in her Little League Version, and illustrator Christoper Bing's recreation of a vintage book, complete with yellowed pages, old newspaper ads and articles, period uniforms and baseball equipment, and other ephemera.
Gutman, a longtime writer of baseball-themed books, takes the mythic Casey one step further than most. Casey is pretty much the same fellow we've come to expect, without the emphasis on his savagery or `lip-curling' swagger. He's broad-shouldered and strong-jawed, looking like a heavily muscled Gregory Peck. Guttman doesn't focus on Casey, but rather on the mythic aspects, exploding them with fanciful exaggeration and humor:
"His arms, his legs, his neck, his lips--his teeth had muscles too.
They rippled from his little toe up to his eyes of blue.
He sneered, he snarled at Mudville's foes, then threw the fans a smirk.
Some ladies found him handsome. Some thought he was a jerk.
Gutman departs from the original story on the third pitch to Casey: Instead of the tragic strike three, Casey hits ("whacks" and "cracks") the ball right out of the park, and into a fantasy flight that propels the rest of the book. Casey looks rather mundane in comparison, In its gravity-defying flight, the ball "crossed the great Atlantic," and makes history.. It strikes a certain tower in Pisa, Italy, causing it to lean, takes off the nose of the Sphinx, does an Einstein-ian 4th dimensional trip back in time to the dinosaurs ("The creatures were so terrified, so underground they slinked, and now you know how dinosaurs, in fact, became extinct.")
Finally, after this long, strange trip, the ball descends back to Mudville, and just as Casey tells an interviewer that `it's all in the wrists,' it lands smack in the glove of a shortstop still on the field. The denouement (which comes and goes a little too quickly) puts Casey back in his place, for as surely as Lucy pulls away Charlie Brown's football, Casey must be out--a fly out, but still an out.
The illustrators switch to a night game for some dramatic light contrasts, but also use the newspaper ad and vintage catalogue gimmick in extremis: The ads pattern the players' uniforms and the ballpark walls (which at least makes sense). They "antique" the pages, but with more subtlety than Bing, and the poses and compositions have a nice dynamism.
"Casey Back at Bat" has tightly constructed rhymes and dramatic illustrations. Gutman writes superbly for his audience, as always, and the humor sparkles. The book distorts--rather than subverts--the Casey narrative, and so it's probably more appropriate for toddlers and early elementary school than for kids a bit older. An anti-hero `Casey' has still not been written, but perhaps some legends are just too sacrosanct to turn inside out.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Saga Continues, April 13, 2007
Both my boys, ages 4 and 5, fell in love with Casey at Bat last year while listening to it on the Poetry Speaks to Children CD. Since then we have purchased several versions of the poem and my 5 year old son has even memorized most of the poem, which has sparked a love of baseball.
When we stumbled upon this book I immediately purchased it and am certainly not disappointed. My sons were enamored by the illustration of the Might Casey and his very strong, intimidating demeanor. They were delightfully taken by the women; one who thought he was handsome and one who thought he was a jerk. What expression! The travels the ball goes on is exciting and adds adventure to an otherwise predictable outcome.
I would recommend Casey at Bat to those wishing to introduce their children to drama and excitement of baseball and definitely follow-up with this very exciting sequel.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth waiting for, June 15, 2007
I don't know about you, but sequels scare me. Particularly sequels written by other people. Too easy for things to go horribly wrong.
This book is clearly written by someone who loves and understands Casey at the Bat. Also by someone who loves the sound of language--the rhymes are beautiful and surprising. And there's a lot of heart in this story. Gutman speculates on the feelings of the baseball fans for Casey, on world history, on the fate of the dinosaurs, all in a beautfully absurd way.
The illustrations have an old-time feel but are done with a modern sense of humor, and add a great deal to an already great story. Hooray!
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