The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story [Hardcover]

Joseph Bruchac (Author), Susan L. Roth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

With characteristic action and wit, renowned Native American storyteller Bruchac retells the amusing and rousing folktale of an epic ball game between the Birds and the Animals, which offers the explanation as to why birds fly south every winter. Roth's brilliant collage art enhances the story. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This adaptation of a popular Native American story pits Animals against Birds in a contest to settle an all-too-human question: Who's better? Here, it's the teeth versus the wings in stickball, a lacrosse-style game in which the players hold a stick in each hand. When the contestants take their sides, the anomalous Bat, who sports both teeth and wings, is rejected by both teams. Finally, Bear shows sympathy, saying, "You are not very big, but sometimes even the small ones can help." Bat is benched, however, until the Animals catch on to the Birds' obvious advantage: with ball in beak, the Birds fly high above the playing field. But as evening darkness descends, Bat flies into gear to win the game with his elusive, darting aerobatics. As the victor, Bat decrees that the Birds must leave for half the year. And, according to Muskogee legend, this resolution explains why bats are categorized as animals and why birds fly south for the winter. With clear, minimal language, Bruchac (see The Girl Who Married the Moon, reviewed below) wisely lets the myth carry itself. While the three-dimensional effect of Roth's (Fire Came to the Earth People) textured paper collages is striking and initially intriguing, the illustrations do not much embellish the sparely told story. But in its call for an athletic game to settle a dispute-and thereby avoid fighting-the book handily inverts the Greco-Roman tradition of sport as training for war. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-In this traditional Muskogee story, the birds and the animals quarrel over which group is better, those with wings or those with teeth. The argument threatens to turn into all-out war, so the creatures decide to settle it by playing a ball game instead. When the game (which resembles lacrosse) starts, no one wants little, weak Bat to play on their side. But in the end it is Bat-with both teeth and wings-who wins the match for the animals. As a result the birds are banished to the south each winter. This porquoi tale is told in clean, spare sentences with the emphasis on action and character. In a foreword, Bruchac briefly discusses ball games in traditional Native American life, including the role of sports in conflict management. He mentions two other written versions of the story, as well as Louis Littlecoon Oliver's, which he cites as his source. Unfortunately, the cut-and-torn paper illustrations are too crudely done to convey character or provide details that would have enriched the book. The helter-skelter compositions distract readers from what is otherwise an entertaining tale.
Carolyn Polese, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803715390
• ISBN-13: 978-0803715394
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > United States

More About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored more than 50 books for adults and children. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible..., September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story (Hardcover)

One of the best, if not the best children's book I have ever read. Its an excellent text to help young people realize that no matter who they are, they have a place and a role to play in this world. I loved it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great children's book, February 22, 2009

By 

Patricia B. Kelly (Wilmington, Delaware United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story (Hardcover)

This children's book has wonderful applications for the classroom. Children of all ages can easily create an art project in the same style of the book. The theme in the story can inspire writing projects and personal connections.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Traditional Story in Picture Book Format, August 2, 2011

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story (Hardcover)

Joseph Bruchac has written a number of award-winning picture books, many of them biographies or traditional stories originating from various Native American tribes. This Muscogee (Creek) story tells of a conflict between the animals and birds. They cannot decide which group is best, so they decide to resolve the question in a traditional manner, through a sports competition. But when the sides line up to play the small bat, equipped with both wings and teeth, has to plead for the right to join either side. Bear takes pity on him and finally allows him to join the Animals. At nightfall, when the game begins to go badly for them, the Bat swoops in to snatch the ball and score a winning goal, showing that "sometimes even the small ones can help." Bat decides that the Birds' penalty for losing shall be their annual migration south, thus vacating the land for the Animals to use.

This story has much in its favor. In spare, clear text Bruchac conveys the practice of sport as a substitute for war, builds a fine drama within the context of the game, includes a little scientific observation and mixes in a little humor. Roth's torn-collage illustrations are fairly abstract, and may not appeal to all readers, but I believe she captures the right mood for this kind of mythological story. Because this kind of story is meant to be shared, it may make a better read-aloud than read-alone. It's well suited for a preschool or elementary audience.