A charming, endearing introduction to a baseball icon.
Casey Stengel was a baseball phenomenon and a genuine eccentric.
He was a good—though not great—player, known for his goofy antics, such as hiding a sparrow in his cap and, when fans booed him, tipping his cap to release the bird. At the end of his playing career, he became a manager for a series of terrible minor and major league teams. Then came the New York Yankees, with their full roster of great players. He managed them to 10 pennants and seven World Series championships. All those years prior, he had been studying the game carefully and remembering everything. His innovative style of platooning lefties and righties, switching around his lineup, placing players at multiple positions, and keeping everyone guessing won games and became the template for the modern game. He also had a way of speaking that confounded all listeners, using “Stengelese” to great advantage. Winter speaks directly to readers in a colloquial, folksy voice, presenting the salient facts but focusing on Stengel’s larger-than-life persona. Additional bits of information appear in sidebars designed like tickets. Blitt’s softly colored pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations, in a variety of perspectives, perfectly convey Stengel’s baseball world, and the portraits of Stengel are amazingly accurate and lifelike.
A charming, endearing introduction to a baseball icon. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-375-87013-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
Despite the book’s clarity, many young listeners still may not understand the enormity of the enterprise or its importance...
Brown brings to life a complex undertaking that had important repercussions, though his early-elementary audience may not be quite ready for it.
The book’s trajectory is clearly laid out: A simple map traces an almost-300-mile path through the wilderness from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Boston. The first line draws readers firmly into the past—“It was the winter of 1775”—and defines the problem: British soldiers occupy Boston, and the Americans have no way to dislodge them. Despite the seeming impossibility of transporting heavy cannons over snowy roads, across icy lakes and through forbidding forests, young Henry Knox, a bookseller and militia member, volunteered to get the job done. As he has in other informational picture books, Brown uses a variety of page layouts, including some sequential panels, to convey the action. Cool blues and icy whites evoke the wintry landscape; figures and faces are loosely drawn but ably express emotion and determination. Likewise, the brief text employs lyrical language to both get the basic facts across and communicate the feelings and experiences of Henry and his band of hardy helpers. Children intrigued by Brown’s succinct summary will want to follow up with Anita Silvey’s Henry Knox: Bookseller, Solider, Patriot, illustrated by Wendell Minor (2010).
Despite the book’s clarity, many young listeners still may not understand the enormity of the enterprise or its importance in U.S. history (bibliography) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59643-266-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
A fuzzy version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
British author Jones brings furry new heroes up from the depths of the Red Desert. The Clan of the Scorpion is a secret ninja organization made up of meerkats. Boastful Jet Flashfeet, inventor/genius Donnie Dragonjab and muscle Bruce Willowhammer are led by the pun-as-proverb–spouting Chuck Cobracrusher. When Ming the tiger goes missing, the meerkats know something foul is afoot, as Ming possesses a rare and secret ability, the Roar of Victory, which is used for mind control. They know her disappearance could only be the work of their nefarious, circus-themed archnemesis, the Ringmaster. He plans on using Ming to brainwash the entire world. To solve the mystery of the missing Ming, the Clan of the Scorpion must travel to Hong Kong and battle their way through the Ringmaster’s henchmen, all while keeping themselves secret and disguised from normal humans. The fight scenes are comical—at one point, the heroes incapacitate enemies by tying their shoelaces together. The meerkat ninja team combats evil clowns and even a trained circus poodle. Illustrations amp up the humor, taking advantage of comedic visuals. The jokes fly just as fast as Jet’s fists. Straightforward and humorous throughout, the story is ideal for reluctant readers. Fast, funny and charming. (character profiles) (Adventure. 7-10)
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-250-01664-5
Page Count: 110
Publisher: Square Fish
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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