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Baseball Is . . .
Author:
Borden, Louise
Illustrator:
Colon, Raul
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Class:
796.357
Age: 7-10
Language: English
Demand: Moderate
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LC: GV867.5
Grade: 2-5
Print Run: 12500
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ISBN-13: 9781416955023
LCCN: 2013008621
Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
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Pub Date: 02/18/2014
Availability: Available
List: $17.99
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Hardcover Reinforced
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Physical Description:
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1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 31 cm
H 12",
W 9",
D 0.4",
1.2 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Children's Core Collection, 22nd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 23rd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 24th ed.
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Kirkus Starred Reviews
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Starred Reviews:
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Kirkus Reviews
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TIPS Subjects:
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Sports
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BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Sports & Recreation / Baseball & Softball
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States / General
JUVENILE NONFICTION / Places / United States
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LC Subjects:
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Baseball
Baseball, Juvenile literature
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SEARS Subjects: |
Baseball
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Reading Programs: |
Lexile Level:
900
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles | 02/01/2014 |
| An homage to the great American pastime, complete with glimpses of the sport's history, helps young readers gear up for a new season of baseball. 48pp., Color Ill. |
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| Starred Reviews: |
| Kirkus Reviews | 02/01/2014 |
| Baseball is more than a sport; in Borden's unabashed celebration, it embodies the essence of the social, historic and emotional fabric of our nation. Baseball has played a part in wars, social upheaval, urban and suburban development, immigration demographics, business conglomerates and investment swindles. It is also myth and mystery and the stuff of the American dream. People who love the game feel it in every sense, and to them, the minutiae are as elemental as the heroes, the great plays and the spectacle. Borden attempts to capture all of it in a lovely evocation of everything that is conjured up when a devoted fan hears the words "baseball is...." She employs deceptively simple language and the briefest of phrases filled with instant imagery that mingles past and present, spectators and players. Readers see, hear, smell and taste every aspect of the game. Nothing is forgotten or minimalized. The ballparks, the souvenirs and the hot dogs are all here from the major leagues to Little League. Colon's exuberant colored-pencil illustrations are lovingly matched to the text and bring it to glorious life. The game is seen from every perspective on double-page spreads that incorporate vignettes in frames of every shape as well as a gatefold with the likes of Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente. Love of our national game shines in every word and picture. A grand slam. (Picture book. 7-10). 48pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2014. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 06/01/2014 |
| Grades 3-6. America's national pastime gets a treatment that is both lively and knowledgeable in this oversize, fact-filled volume. The ellipses after the title lead the way for Borden to tell readers that baseball is "our game." A game of a perfect diamond, its equipment, stadiums, fans, and players. Each page has a few lines of text that explain the details and rules of the game while also introducing interesting history, such as the way FDR pressed a telegraph key to send a signal and light the first night game. The book is bit too long, and a few things are shortchanged, such as the Negro Leagues and women's leagues. Still, there's so much to enjoy here that fans can page through it over and over. This is due in no small part to Colon's signature colored-pencil artwork, which impressively captures baseball moments big and small. A neat vehicle for getting an intergenerational conversation going over a shared passion. Cooper, Ilene. 48p. Booklist Online AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 02/01/2014 |
| Ad. Gr. 3-5. Borden shares her devotion to baseball in this free-verse paean to America's pastime. The focus is on major league baseball, with only the slightest nod to the sandlot players, student athletes, Little Leaguers, office teammates, and other amateurs with cleats on the ground, but even slugs who bask in the peanuts and hot dogs and sunshine will understand the bliss. Unfortunately, the title amounts to little more than lists of definitions, observations and descriptions: "Baseball is wide gates to a swirl of noise,/ ticket takers,/ ticket stubs,/ and vendors,/ selling souvenirs"; "Baseball is nine innings, and sometimes more,/ with a top and a bottom for each." Occasionally, though, a verse rises well above the quotidian with a genuine flash of poetic power hitting: "Baseball is a crescendo of joy that fills the stands./ And baseball is/ sudden silence./ The hush of error." Colon's grainy, atmospheric paintings, though often prone to chaotic composition, manage to capture more of the passion of the game, particularly as experienced by fans and stadium staff. Moreover, Colon highlights players, sportscasters, teams, and stadiums from across the country and over time, inviting young fans to search for their favorites and vie with their peers for the title of baseball cognoscente. This won't substitute for an afternoon on the field or in the stands, but it may just help some kids keep their spirits up until opening day. EB. 44p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2014. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2014 |
| 4. 4-6. This poetic celebration of America's game, honoring everything from the diamond and ballparks to players' and spectators' emotions, has a freewheeling, sometimes disorganized feel. Colsn's scratchlike colored-pencil art highlights the expansive grass, chalk lines, and base paths and the drama of a fastball and a double play. A foldout near the end with nods to specific players feels tacked on. r. smith. 40pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2014. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 02/10/2014 |
| Ages 7-10. More than a decade after America Is..., Borden returns with a rosy tribute to the national pastime, this time accompanied by Colon, whose pencil illustrations virtually glow with sunset golds and the lime greens of the outfield. Most of Borden's verse is dedicated to capturing the sounds, smells, and emotions of the game itself ("Baseball is the scamper of the bat boy/ and the distant shout in the stands:/ 'Peanuts!'/ 'Popcorn!' "). But the game's history is also felt, both in inset images that, for instance, show the technology used by announcers past and present, and in detours that honor presidential connections to the game, a trio of players (Ruth, Robinson, and Clemente), and "the minor leagues/ and Little League,/ the talented and long ago Negro Leagues,/ the women's league." It's a warm and passionate ode to the game, whether it's being played in stadiums or backyards. Illustrator's agent: Morgan Gaynin Inc. (Feb.). 48p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2014. |
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| School Library Journal | 01/01/2014 |
| Gr 2-5--This picture-book tribute salutes our national pastime, whose "stories are stitched through our nation's history." Borden enumerates the elements of the game, including ballparks and fans, plays and players, in crisp verses paired with Colon's textured and lively drawings: "Baseball is the fastball, the curveball, the knuckleball, the slider, the crack of the bat...." A fold-out page gives special attention to Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. The author also mentions the "long ago" Negro leagues and the women's league; and notes baseball's ability to bring diverse people together. Emphasis is placed on patriotic elements, such as the playing of the national anthem and the American flag flying above the stands "like a familiar friend." Throughout, Colon's expressive art, rendered in colored pencil and watercolors, enlivens the sometimes static, message-laden narrative. This is a beautiful, well-crafted, and oversize text that will be welcomed and embraced by fans of the game. Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA. 48p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2014. |
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9781416955023,dl.it[0].title
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