Last Licks: A Spaldeen Story [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

A celebration of one girl's passion to play ball--and of the legendary little pink ball that inspired her greatest hit.

Annie Ellis is always itching to pitch her lucky Sky-High Super Pinkie. It makes the sweetest sound: off her fist, a mop handle, or the wall. The possibilities are endless. Her teacher, Miss Hatchett, threatens to pop the pesky Pinkie and it's a challenge not to lost it to Mrs. O'Donnell's dog. But the biggest threat of all is Annie's Super, who hopes to add Annie's ball to his infamous collection of neighborhood Pinkies. When Annie's ball is the only one left, she has to risk using--and losing--it at the weekly punchball game. Her "last licks" brings a spectacular hit--over the tops of sycamore trees, through the light and dark and dusk of day. But it's her final surprising confrontation with the dreaded Super that will have readers young and old cheering!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best's (Taxi! Taxi!) nostalgic paean to the Spaldeen, the pink rubber ball that was once a playground staple, has ample bounce at its start, yet its one-note narrative stretches the concept a bit thin. Fortunately, Palmisciano's (previously teamed with Best for Getting Used to Harry) oil pastel pictures keep these busy pages fresh; she endows the animated, amusingly exaggerated characters with plenty of silly antics and facial expressions. City gal Annie would rather play ball with her "lucky Sky-High Super Pinkie" than do anything else, much to the chagrin of her teacher (who would prefer that she focus on the spelling lesson) and her aunt, father and mother (who wish that she shared their respective interests in knitting, bugs and exercise). Annie and her friends play punchball with her Pinkie only on Sundays, when the superintendent of their apartment building is away; he has already confiscated all the other kids' balls. Though Annie's ball meets the same fate, its journey there takes a surprising twist, and the girl becomes somewhat of a neighborhood celebrity. Best writes in a cheerful, colloquial voice, but the repeated bouncing, squeezing and smelling of Annie's balls here grows tiresome, and seasoned ballplayers may find her easy parting from her beloved Spaldeen suspect at story's end. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Young Annie loves everything about her Spaldeen, a small, pink ball that is great to squeeze, smell, and play with. She lives for Sundays when the kids from her New York City neighborhood gather in a field to play punchball. Annie's biggest fear is that the building's superintendent will get his hands on her Pinkie and add it to the collection he's garnered from kids who have broken his written rule, "No Ball Playing or Else!" One Sunday, Annie gets "last licks" during the game and belts a tremendous drive that soars out of the playground and over trees, cars, and her apartment building and is finally caught by the super. Though he offers to return it to her, Annie decides that he should keep it for his collection. The next day, a thank-you note and a new Sky-High Super Pinkie arrive at her apartment. Brightly colored oil-pastel paintings dance across the pages mimicking the tone of the zany text. The endpapers contain quotes from a number of people, including Sandy Koufax and William Steig, about their youthful experiences with these balls. A fun read for all, Last Licks will be especially popular in areas where playing with Spaldeens is, or was, a favorite pastime.
Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789425130
• ISBN-13: 978-0789425133
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,625,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Queens Kid and her Pinkie, February 7, 2001

By 

R. J. Cantor-Cooke "Robin C-C" (Williamsburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Licks: A Spaldeen Story (Hardcover)

If you grew up in the borough of Queens in the city of New York in the 1960s, you know from Spaldeens (okay--they're made by Spalding, but we never said it that way)--those pink rubber balls with the slightly fuzzy feel that you used to swing your leg over for "A My Name Is Alice." Cari Best has written a dandy story about an energetic kid named Annie who has a way with a Spaldeen. The writing is vibrant and humorous, the illustrations lush and alive, and kids love the story. I know what I'm talking about, because I recently read the book to my son's first grade class, and they got me to promise I'd bring them all back Spaldeens on my next trip to New York.

Nice job, Cari!

5.0 out of 5 stars The pleasures of learning, playing, and sharing passion, May 25, 2003

By 

kt94 "kt94" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Licks: A Spaldeen Story (Hardcover)

I first saw this book at the Baseball Hall of Fame last summer. They have a great play area for young kids and I read it there. My daughter loves this story and I love that it encourages kids to be athletic, smart, and passionate. Annie Ellis loves her Spaldeen -- and the story does an excellent job of relaying that through rythmic writing that draws you into the pleasures of it all. If you love cities and passion, then this is a great book for you and your kid(s). I've read it aloud at least 100 times and it's one of my favorites.