A helpful baseball primer that’s sure to be a big hit.
A young athlete steps up to the plate.
Tan-skinned Coach Al invites light-skinned, redheaded Lucy to join the team and gives her a uniform, hat, bat, helmet, and glove. The squad warms up with an exciting game of Catch the Coach before practicing hitting and fielding, two critical offensive and defensive skills. Next up is a friendly scrimmage, but uh-oh! Lucy’s afraid of getting hit by a pitch. With her coach’s help, she gets in the right frame of mind to bat and smashes a line drive into the outfield gap, batting in a runner who slides safely into home plate. By the end of the book, as Lucy jumps for joy over her first RBI, the excitement is palpable. The rhyming text is charming and highly informative; a larger font indicates baseball-related terms, many of which are further defined in an appended “Fast Facts!” section. This fast-paced tale covers many aspects of practice and gameplay (the cheery illustrations help clarify various elements of the game), making it an excellent preparation for a first team practice. Lucy’s teammates are racially diverse, and while the text doesn’t mention whether any of the players are disabled, the backmatter mentions Challenger Baseball, an adaptive league designed for people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Publishes simultaneously in French and Spanish. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A helpful baseball primer that’s sure to be a big hit. (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781459834941
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
An early reader that kids will want to befriend.
In an odd-couple pairing of Bear and Chipmunk, only one friend is truly happy to spend the day at the beach.
“Not me!” is poor Chipmunk’s lament each time Bear expresses the pleasure he takes in sunning, swimming, and other activities at the beach. While controlled, repetitive text makes the story accessible to new readers, slapstick humor characterizes the busy watercolor-and-ink illustrations and adds interest. Poor Chipmunk is pinched by a crab, buried in sand, and swept upside down into the water, to name just a few mishaps. Although other animal beachgoers seem to notice Chipmunk’s distress, Bear cheerily goes about his day and seems blithely ignorant of his friend’s misfortunes. The playful tone of the illustrations helps soften the dynamic so that it doesn’t seem as though Chipmunk is in grave danger or that Bear is cruel. As they leave at the end of the book Bear finally asks, “Why did you come?” and Chipmunk’s sweet response caps off the day with a warm sunset in the background.
An early reader that kids will want to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3546-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Uplifting and harmonious.
Tuchi dreams of playing the guitarrón in a mariachi band, but she falters when she learns girls are not allowed in the ensemble.
Hearing the mariachi band playing in the plaza inspires Tuchi. But she’s disappointed when her teacher, Mr. Sanchez, tells her she can’t play in the school’s group: “Mariachi is only for boys.” Later, when her grandfather plays with his friends, Tuchi asks to join in but is told that mariachi requires “strength and stamina. It’s just for boys.” After she finds her grandmother’s old instrument, her Nana encourages her by teaching her how to play and emboldening her to stand up for herself. Although Tuchi is unfairly discouraged by the adults she trusts early in the book, her grandmother’s mentorship, love, and heirloom guitarrón help Tuchi prove that she belongs in the mariachi band and that girls deserve the same opportunities as boys, especially in the classroom. Tuchi’s grandmother is a wonderful example of a positive role model, and their close and nurturing intergenerational relationship will resonate with many. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout; a glossary defines them. Characters are brown-skinned and cued as Latine; the focus on mariachi implies a Mexican setting. Music notes weave through the bright, cartoonlike illustrations, evoking Tuchi’s passion for mariachi. Musically inclined readers will appreciate backmatter with information on other mariachi instruments, with photos.
Uplifting and harmonious. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781534111912
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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