04 February 2011

Casey at the Bat (Visions in Poetry) by Ernest L. Thayer, Joe Morse (Illustrator)

Paperback, 48 pages
Published March 1st 2010 by Kids Can Press (first published June 1974)
ISBN:  1554534585 (ISBN13: 9781554534586)
original title:  Casey At the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (Caldecott Honor Book)
setting:  United States
literary awards:  Caldecott Honor (2001)


Summary:
Visions in Poetry is an exciting and unique series of classic poems illustrated by outstanding contemporary artists in stunning hardcover editions. Casey at the Bat, the fourth book in the series, is more than a poem about a proud and mighty slugger who strikes out during the big game. It is a slice of baseball lore, as much a part of the game as hot dogs and the seventh-inning stretch. Illustrator Joe Morse sets the poem on gritty urban streets with a multiracial cast of characters. It's a startlingly fresh approach that not only revives the poem for a new generation, but also brings it new richness and depth.


My thoughts:
What makes this book so good is the art. The poem is a classic...of course...but the illustrations are exceptional, and they perfectly capture the tenor of the poem. They rendered reminiscences of a simpler, slower, more relaxed era, when baseball was (truly) the American pastime


5 Stars


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