Casey Back at Bat

Gutman, D. (2007). Casey back at bat. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books.

ISBN: 0-06-056025-8

Author: Dan Gutman
Website: http://www.dangutman.com/

Illustrated By: Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
Website: http://www.johnsonandfancher.com/
Media Used: 19th century inspired paintings with textured papers and newsprint imprinted on the surfaces and players uniforms.

Summary: It's the last game of the season, the score is tied, and the infamous Casey has a chance to win the game and redeem himself.  Will Casey bring joy to the fans of Mudville? or will he blow it again?

Personal Reaction: I was searching for a copy of Thayer's Casey at Bat poem [see my review of Bing's Version] when I came across this title.  Gutman, a prolific children's author, has always created quality material.  Casey back at bat tells the story of how Casey got a second chance to be the hero of Mudville.  Casey hits the ball so hard it travels around the world and then into space, only to come back down right in the shortstops glove.  While the whole book rhymes well, the rhythm of the book sometimes gets broken in order to accommodate the rhyming.  For instance the following lines rhyme but are read aloud in a different rhythm then the rest of the book, "In the depths of outer space, an astronaut named Janet/ shrieked, "Eureka! I have found it! I've discovered a new planet!"  The change in rhythm causes the reader to stumble, especially when reading aloud.  Otherwise, this book makes a great pairing with the original Casey at Bat poem.

Single Book Length Poem

Use of Rhyme: The entire book is composed so that every two lines end in a pair of rhyming words such as - first/thirst; face/place; inning/winning

Lesson Plan (under construction): Writing prompt - to rewrite or write a sequel to a popular poem or story. (Ex: the true story of the three little pigs; Casey at bat; the frog prince continued) 

Curricular Connection:  Grade 8 to 12 English-Language Arts
California Standards: 2.0 Speaking Applications - (Grade 8) 2.5 - Recite poems (of four to six stanzas), sections of speeches, or dramatic soliloquies, using voice modulation, tone, and gestures expressively to enhance the meaning. (Grade 11 to 12) 2.5 - Recite poems, selections from speeches, or dramatic soliloquies with attention to performance details to achieve clarity, force, and aesthetic effect and to demonstrate an understanding of the meaning.