Picture book #15

Author:  Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Title:  Casey at the Bat
Illustrator:  Christopher Bing
Readability score:  Kindergarten to Grade 5
Genre:  Fiction/Poetry
Subgenre:  Historical fiction
Theme:  Baseball is a favorite American pastime.  Do not be overly confident in your abilities.
Primary and secondary characters:  Casey, Flynn, Jimmy Blake, umpire, pitcher
Awards:  2001 Caldecott Honor
Date of Publication:   2000
Publication company:  Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN number:  0-439-33676-7

Casey at the Bat takes place in 1888.  Many people have gathered to watch the Mudville nine play a game.  The outlook isn't bright until Casey comes up to bat.  He lets the first two balls fly past him, resulting in two strikes.  He tries one last time to hit the ball, but misses.  Casey lets the fans down and the feeling of disappointment is almost tangible at the end of the poem.

This story would cater more to boys.  However, I feel that this book displays a part of American history that many people do not stop to think about: entertainment.  Many people went to baseball games for fun.  It was a new sport in the late 1800s.  Many people were interested in it.  I would use this book in a as an example of American life during this time period.  I would ask the students to tell me what they like to do for fun.  Then, I would read the story aloud and engage the students in a grand conversation about baseball.  I would point out to the students how serious the fans were in the story and how disappointed and enraptured they were by the game.  Is this similar to the way we view sports today?  Is it still entertainment today?  This lesson would be a way to show the students that even in the 1800s, people enjoyed sports.  Also, I would emphasize that baseball is a truly American sport.