Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (Caldecott Honor Book) (Hardcover)

~ Ernest L. Thayer (Author), Christopher Bing (Illustrator) "THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED to all those children of spring who have found moments of heaven in the smell of a freshly mowed ballpark beneath..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Debut children's book illustrator Bing hits a home run with this handsome faux-scrapbook treatment of Thayer's immortal poem. The original verses about baseball star Casey and the ill-fated Mudville nine appeared in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, and Bing captures the spirit of the age with pen-and-ink illustrations that look like carefully preserved newspaper clippings, complete with slightly torn and yellowed edges. He uses cross-hatching and careful shading to create the pages of The Mudville Sunday Monitor, which keenly resemble the newspaper engravings of the day. Columns of type (in historically accurate printers' fonts, as an afterword points out) run beneath each illustration to bolster the conceit. Bing also scatters other "scrapbook" items throughout, from game tickets (a bargain at 20 cents) to old-fashioned baseball cards and stereopticon imagesDmany of them carefully keyed to the text. Full-color currency, for instance, accompanies "They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at thatD/ We'd put up even money now with Casey at the bat," while an ad for Brown's Bronchial Troches appears with the couplet "Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;/ It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell." Endpapers reveal more items to delight baseball fans and history buffs, from Thayer's newspaper obituary to a fake bookplate wreathed with baseball motifs. Though Casey and the Mudville nine strike out in the end, this exceptionally clever picture book is definitely a winner. All ages. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up-Thayer's classic poem of the 19th-century baseball legend has been revived for a new generation in this creatively designed package. From the first look at the cover, produced to resemble a vintage scrapbook, through the interior views of pages from the "Mudville Monitor," Bing has orchestrated every detail to great effect. Each double spread, rendered in ink and brush on scratchboard, is a scene from the poem. The multitude of lines adds energy; the multiple perspectives create interest. Overlaid on this tattered "newsprint" is baseball memorabilia (cards, tickets, medallions, postcards), as well as cleverly fabricated ads or editorials that relate to the moment. The book will be enjoyed by intergenerational partners who can pore over the pages and point things out to one another. It would be a gold mine for teachers seeking inspiration for period projects.-Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1 edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929766009
• ISBN-13: 978-1929766000
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #213,679 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserved the Caldecott, January 23, 2001

By	Scotty (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews

I've been collecting children's picture books for over 25 years and it's been a long time since I've had a book surprise and delight me as much as this title. The creativity with which Christopher Bing has blended his own terrific etched illustrations with the memorabilia and fictional news clippings is highly imaginative and will pull you through the book. In many ways the poem/ballad of "Casey at the Bat" becomes a secondary theme yet it skillfully holds the entrie composition together. After "reading" the book for the first time, I realized I hadn't even read the poem/ballad!! There are many subtle, underlying stories hidden in the pages. The clipping which tells the history behind the racism and eventual segregation of black ballplayers lies next to an illustration where the catcher is clearly African American. This books is a real treat. If you love baseball, children's books, history or just great creative expression through art, this book will give you hours of joy and discovery.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative Illustrations Turn the Poem into a News Event, January 13, 2001

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Mr. Christopher Bing has reconceptualized "Casey at the Bat" from being a poem that appeared in the June 3, 1888 edition of the San Francisco Examiner into an imaginary news story with drawings and artifacts in "The Mudville Sunday Monitor" of the same date. In that reframing, the classic poem takes on a greater life and significance for fans of the poem.

Each page in this brief book resembles the yellowed file copies of that old newspaper, with historic artifacts strewn across its pages. You will see tickets to the game, money, confetti, articles of that time, advertisements, a baseball, a baseball card, and the Library of Congress catalog card for "Casey at the Bat." Even the acknowledgments are put into this format.

But this would all be but window-dressing if it were not such a powerful poem that has captured the imaginations of baseball fans for generations.

"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine . . . ."

"The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play."

Everyone hopes that Casey will get to bat, but that's unlikely. But a miracle happens.

"For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat."

Then comes the most famous and exciting at-bat in fictional baseball history.

Alas, like the Red Sox since Babe Ruth left for New York, the end is disappointment for the fans.

This book will make a wonderful gift for the baseball fan who has everything.

After you finish oohing and aahing over the great illustrations and reliving your pleasure in the poem, I suggest that you reflect over the famous at-bats that have occurred in real baseball games. Which one is your favorite? For me, none can match Kirk Gibson's hobbling home run to help the Dodgers top the Mets in Shea Stadium in the final game of the National League Championship Series and go onto the World Series. I still get chills thinking about that. Reggie Jackson's third home run in the same World Series game comes close as a thrill.

Wait for a good pitch, and hit it out of the park!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, Virginia, there is a Casey., November 26, 2000

By	Dean R. Thilgen "Deano" (Woodbury, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Casey at the Bat: A Balland of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888, Christopher Bing takes this oft-told base ball tale to a new level. Casey becomes a real batter in this richly illustrated version of Thayer's poem. 1880s base ball artifacts and photographs blend the real with the imaginary. Careful research done with the help of Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) members makes the Mudville nine come to life. Bing's oversized line drawings delight child and parent alike.