Luke Goes to Bat - Hardcover

Isadora, Rachel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039923604X ISBN 13: 9780399236044

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 2005

Synopsis

Upset over the way he played stickball with the neighborhood kids on Bedford Avenue, young Luke is about ready to give up his dreams of playing for the majors until his grandfather takes him see his hero, Jackie Robinson, play at Ebbets Field and learns an important lesson about determination and perseverance.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3 - Luke wants to join his older brother and his friends in their stickball game but they think he's too small. The boys live in the shadow of Ebbets Field, where the great Jackie Robinson plays for the Brooklyn Dodgers in this summer of 1951. When Luke finally gets a chance to substitute, he strikes out twice. Back home, his grandma encourages him, saying, "Not everyone plays like Jackie Robinson all the time. Not even Jackie Robinson." She takes Luke to a game where he watches his hero, two strikes down, deliver the tie-breaking run. Later, the boy has a vision of the slugger, who speaks to him: "Your grandma was right. You can't give up." In the imaginary scenes, Robinson and his teammates are dramatically set apart in shades of gray, white, and black, while Luke and his surroundings remain vibrantly hued. Isadora's lively watercolors with fluid lines and warm colors elevate this slight story. Luke is winsome and sympathetic, but the tale and its message are predictable and heavy-handed. The inclusion of Robinson will hold some interest for baseball fans, but Gavin Curtis's The Bat Boy & His Violin (S & S, 1998) and Peter Golenbock's Teammates (Harcourt, 1990) are better choices for young readers. - Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
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From Booklist:

PreS-Gr. 2. Luke has longed to join the stickball games his older brother, Nicky, plays in the streets of their Brooklyn neighborhood, so he's delighted when Nicky and his team reluctantly let him fill in for a missing player. Unfortunately, on his one turn at bat, he strikes out. He feels defeated until Grandma takes him to see the great Jackie Robinson play. After Jackie strikes out twice before hitting a home run, Luke begins to understand that even the greatest players can't always be perfect. A final spread in which Luke imagines a conversation with Robinson may confuse children, and the messages about determination are blatant. Even so, children mastering new skills will easily relate to Luke's frustration when early attempts bring failure, and they'll be comforted, right along with Luke, by supportive Grandma. Isadora paints her African American characters in angled perspectives and shadows that extend the sports action and reassuring emotions. Suggest Angela Johnson's Just Like Josh Gibson (2004) for another nostalgic, bat-and-ball picture book about African American kids finding inspiration and pride in sports heroes. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 039923604X
• ISBN 13: 9780399236044
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Isadora Rachel