Betsy's Day at the Game

Peanuts, Cracker Jack, cotton candy, and hot dogs! Those are my fondest memories of the ball park, and they certainly top my daughters' lists as well. But one equally hallowed tradition of baseball had been fading from the American scene, so I'm glad to see a picture book that's bringing it back.

Betsy's Day at the Game, written by Greg Bancroft and illustrated by Katherine Blackmore, describes a young girl's visit to the ballpark with her grandfather. The book captures all there is to love about baseball, and that's because author Greg Bancroft seems to be a baseball fan first and foremost. His descriptions and Katherine Blackmore's images capture the sights, sounds, smells, and (my favorite part) tastes of the ballpark. Via their narrative, we spend a day vicariously at the park. Simple enough, right?

As the story progresses and the game begins, however, we realize that much more is taking place. Betsy and Grandpa are teaching us, step by step and in plain English, how to keep score. For the those who are as clueless as me, keeping score in baseball goes way beyond tallying runs!

Codes and symbols are entered onto a scorecard, effectively chronicling every offensive and defensive play of the game. From what friends have told me, baseball fans can read a score book and see the entire game played out in their heads in the same way that musicians can read musical notation and actually "hear the song."

So while I started out as a true scoring novice, by book's end I had a pretty good idea of the whole process. And trust me, if I can figure it out, anyone can! Betsy's Day at the Game would definitely score a home run with any young baseball fan. Using the handy scorecards supplied in the back of the book, fans could easily follow along with and score their favorite team at the park or on TV.

Some Recommended Baseball Resources:

• Aspiring writers will want to check out Greg Bancroft's 10 Things I Didn't Know Until I Published My First Book. If you're planning on breaking into the book biz, you should read this article! 
• See more of Katherine Blackmore's illustrations at her site.
• Check out a tutorial on scoring if you want more examples, plus the formulas to figure out all the stats you would ever need. The actual scorecard isn't as nice as the one in the back of Betsy's Day at the Game, however.
• The Baseball for Kids site features lots of extras for young fans of baseball.
• Taking your child to the park for the first time? Definitely make a Plan B! As parents, we know how attention spans can wane as kids become hot, tired, cranky, over-sugared, and restless. TeachMama has a fabulous set of suggestions for surviving your outing using Kid-Friendly Learning During Baseball Games. 
• Check out some earlier posts on the Teach with Picture Books site including Going Extra Innings with Baseball Picture Books (books and lots of sites for kids about baseball), A League of Their Own: Women in Baseball, and Girls Got Game (incredible female athletes). Let Them Play, discussed in an earlier post on Black History, is another baseball story from history that kids find incredibly intriguing.
  
• With 42, the Jackie Robinson movie, releasing in theaters this weekend, younger readers might be interested in learning more about this courageous hero of baseball history. For readers in grades 2-5, I highly recommend Jackie Robinson: American Hero, written by the star's own daughter, Sharon Robinson. This transitional book features not only the perfect blend of images and text, but also the perfect blend of backstory and biography. Sharon Robinson provides young readers with just enough historical context to understand and appreciate what made Jackie Robinson's accomplishments incredible not only for his time, but for all of time, and not only in sports history, but in our nation's history. If you're a teacher hoping to engage your reluctant readers with chapter books, this one is a winner!

Explore the World with Soccer

For some time now, American kids have been crazy about soccer! While the United States seems slow to embrace this sport which is loved worldwide, the first soccer team in this country was actually established back in the 1860s, and the U.S. Soccer Federation was formed in 1913 (joining the world governing body FIFA in that same year). While professional teams and matches still take a back seat to baseball, football, basketball, and even hockey, kids have embraced soccer as one of their favorite pastimes (of the 18 million Americans who play soccer, 78% of them are under the age of eighteen).

So it's only natural that we can use kids' obsession with this sport to get them interested in reading and world culture. Enter Nomad Press's innovative Soccer World Series, beginning with Soccer World: South Africa and Soccer World: Mexico.

The Soccer World Series follows former pro player Ethan Zohn as he visits different countries, learning about diverse cultures as well as the people who live there. A young player in each country introduces Ethan the nation's unique geography, natural wonders, history, customs, traditions, and sites. In context of these explorations are challenges for kids to act on the social and environmental problems of each country.

In addition to the clear and easily accessible text and colorful illustrations, the books in this series also contain key vocabulary, hands-on projects and activities (including recipes!), and a thorough glossary and index. Students can also visit the series' web site to find additional activities and resources, as well as the opportunity to share their own projects with Ethan.

To help get your students psyched about soccer, you might want to encourage some research into its history and rules of play. Kids First Soccer is a great place to start, and World Almanac for Kids offer the latest up-to-date information on teams and the World Cup.

Speaking of the World Cup, this once-every-four-years event is on for 2010, so what better way to get kids psyched? While the FIFA official web site doesn't have a kids' section, you can find some preliminary activities and print-outs at Activity Village. At EFL Club you can find an interesting listening activity involving drawing flags of the 2010 World Cup nations using geometry vocabulary.

For dozens of additional links, check out the teacher approved links at the Soccer Section at Edgate. And for lots of free, awesome resources on a number of topics, be sure to visit the Nomad Press site. Read more about their titles and downloadable activities at a previous post here.

Recommended Picture Books for Black History, Part II

This post is way overdue! But the fact is, the books I'm about to share are great for any time of the year, and certainly need not be limited to Black History Month. Be sure to also check out Part One of this post for more great ideas!

George Crum and the Saratoga Chips, written by Gaylia Taylor and illustrated by Frank Morrison, is a terrific tale of invention. Having always felt like an outsider because of the color of his skin, George Crum thinks he's finally found in his place as chef at a prestigious Saratoga Springs restaurant. But when a customer's complaint makes him feel inferior, his inventiveness helps to create one of America's finest "delicacies," now enjoyed in almost every American home.

Students, of course, love to create, so some exercises in invention are in order as an extension to this fun book. There tons of sites on invention, but I'm a teacher, and I know you don't want messy, time-consuming projects to litter your classroom! Here instead are a few simple, neat web links to explore:

• African American Inventors is a site designed for upper grade students, but can be easily navigated with just a little assistance. There students can research achievements of an assigned Black American. If you need a few names to get started, see Cengage Learning's Invent-O-Rama page.
• Meet Me at The Corner is a cool virtual field trip site, and their video on Kid Inventors' Day is supplemented with some simple follow-up questions and activities.
• Whizzball allows students to either solve or create a pathway of gadgets to move a ball from one place to another in a Mousetrap-like environment. Extremely open-ended and adaptable to many skill levels.
• The History of Invention is a cool invention timeline which can be scrolled either vertically or horizontally. There students can learn about the origins of the "stuff" they use every day.

Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield is the inspiration behind The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby, written by Crystal Hubbard and illustrated by Robert McGuire. Jimmy Winkfield is the only black Jockey to win two Kentucky Derby titles back to back, and for this honor was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs. This book chronicles his determination to win on and off the track in the face of increasing racism in the world of horse racing.

• After reading this book, students may want to explore the world of horse racing, and the Reading Recommendations page from the official Kentucky Derby Museum is a good place to start.
• For more information about black jockeys, and Isaac Murphy in particular (mentioned in The Last Black King as one of racing's most successful riders), check out the article African-Americans in Racing.
• Lee and Low books provides an interesting interview with author Crystal Hubbard. In addition to speaking about The Last Black King, Hubbard discusses what readers can learn from books about sports. Reading that interview may spark an idea for a wider reading of sports picture books (see Floyd Cooper's titles below). Also be sure to check out Hubbard's most recent book, Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream.
• And of course, here's a silly horse racing game your students will probably enjoy.

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World, written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Francois Roca, tells the tale of the man who would be King, not on the race track, but in the boxing ring.

This is the true Ali: proud, controversial, devastating. Roca's thick, sculpturesque paintings are the perfect complement to Winter's narrative, which echoes the language and rhythm of the Book of Genesis. All in all, a satisfying, fact-filled tribute to the Champion of the World.

Be sure to check out Ali's complete biography, as this book is certain to prompt questions from many students. From Ali's own official site, you'll find many video segments of his greatest fights.

Willie and the All Stars, written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper, is one of that author's finest titles. While many of us know Floyd Cooper as simply an illustrator, providing beautiful images for the words of others (as in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, by Joyce Carol Thomas), Willie and the All-Stars establishes Cooper as a double threat talent.

Young Willie dreams of playing professional baseball one day, but is dissuaded from pursuing that dream because, after all, Blacks don't play in the major leagues in 1942 America. He's close to giving up hope until one day a neighbor gives him tickets to an exhibition game between Negro League and Major League All-Stars at Wrigley Field. The Negro League players, led by Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, quickly impress the crowd with their determination playing style, and through their grit edge the much-favored major leaguers for the win. The book ends with a glimmer of hope for Willie and boys like him as white and black players shake hands on the field at game's end. An author's note adds a bit of history regarding the Negro Leagues.

This book would, of course, be a perfect companion title to Let Them Play, mentioned in my Recommended Picture Books for Black History Month, Part I post. Let Them Play details the struggle of young players which mirrored those of their idols.

Following a reading of Willie and the All Stars, students may wish to explore the history of Negro Leagues. A good place to start would be Carole Boston Weatherford's A Negro League Scrapbook or Kadir Nelson's excellent We Are the Ship. See my Going Extra Innings with Baseball Picture Books post for questions, lessons, and more online extensions.

For further research and activities, you'll find everything you need at the Negro Baseball League site at 42Explore (Four to Explore). Using the resources there, students can create a baseball card, player biography, or team poster, or complete a webquest on Negro Baseball.

A League of Their Own: Women in Baseball

Ask most people what they know about women's professional baseball and they're apt to sheepishly mutter that they once saw A League of Their Own. A good movie; no complaints there. But women created a much richer legacy in the history of baseball that deserves exploration.

Once you've checked out the summaries of the books below, refer back to the Extra Innings post for themes, questions, cross-curricular extensions, and some pretty cool websites. I've included just a few extra resources below to enhance your use of these titles.

Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women who Won the World Championship
by Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

The true-life 1946 championship game between the Rockford Peaches and the Racine Belles sets the scene for a young girl's first professional baseball game. We experience the excitement of the moment with her through multiple perspectives of the event. Interspersed are brief historical notes, baseball idioms, and beautiful uses of figurative language. Illustrator E.B. Lewis once again contributes his considerable artistic talents (see Across the Alley in the previous post) to make this book a satisfying read.

One way Lewis accomplishes this is by showing us varying points of view throughout the book. First we see young Margaret in the stands with her mother, visibly excited. We then find ourselves sitting in the stands with her, looking out at the field. Next we're facing the batter straight on (from the pitcher's mound), and so on. These visual perspectives are an excellent lead-in to any novel which deals with multiple character/narrator perspectives. I've used this book for exactly that purpose prior to class readings of books such as Poppy by Avi and Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen, where a grasp of differing points of view is essential for understanding the narrative.


Mama Played Baseball
by David Adler
illustrated by Chris O'Leary

Amy helps her mother to get a job as a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League while Amy's father serves in the army during World War II. Like the above book, this one provides excellent background about both the women's baseball league and the role that women played in the workplace during the war. This book seems to make the argument that what were doing at home to support the war effort was nearly as important as what the boys themselves were doing overseas.

This is illustrator Chris O'Leary's first picture book, and I think half this book's charm comes from the fact that the pictures are so reminiscent of the 1930's mural art (such as Early Spanish Caballeros, pictured to the right)created by Works Progress Administration artists during the Great Depression.

A brief history of the WPA, plus links to WPA murals in many states, can be found here. Have students compare some of those works to O'Leary's to discuss similarities and differences.

Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen
by Marissa Moss
illustrated by C.F.Payne

I love this true story of the seventeen year-old girl who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, back to back, during a 1931 exhibition game in Chattanooga. This is a perfect example of a picture book at its finest, giving the reader "just enough information" to care, while leaving the reader wanting to know more. C.F. Payne, one of America's greatest illustrators, is totally on his game here (you knew I had to throw in a baseball idiom eventually).

Unfortunately for Jackie, women's time in baseball had not yet come, and to read the Author's Note about her career in the game is somewhat heartbreaking. But Jackie proved that any girl can achieve great things once she chooses to commit herself to a dream, with heart, soul, mind, and body.

This book clearly illustrates the sexism which was present at this time, and can certainly be used as a discussion starter for sexist remarks which continue to this day such as, "You throw like a girl." A question for students to consider might be, "If Jackie was as good as any male pitcher, then why wasn't she permitted to play in the major leagues?"

Extension Ideas: Language Arts

• After you read aloud the Author's Note at the end of Mighty Jackie, have students write a letter to Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the then-baseball commissioner, providing reasons why Jackie should be permitted to play. At this time (1931), what strides were other women making that were proving that they were as good as, if not better than, men?
• Share a version of Casey at the Bat with students (the reworking by Christopher Bing is one of my favorites). Have students work in pairs to rewrite the poem, telling how Jackie Mitchell struck out the Babe.

Extension Ideas: Social Studies

• The All American Girls Professional Baseball League site is full of histories, records, pictures, and player information. Have students learn about a player from their geographical area. Students can also map all known players and try to determine if a majority of them came from any one region of the U.S. If so, why?
• Have students design a team logo or uniform for a newly formed team from a town or city of their choice? What's the team's name, you ask? That's up to students! Through a bit of research, students can find an animal or other symbol of that region to create a team name.