Casey at the Bat illustrated by Christopher Bing

Title: Casey at the Bat

Author: Ernest L. Thayer

Illustrator: Christopher Bing

Publisher: Handprint Books

Year: 2000

Awards/Accolades: 

Caldecott Honor

Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for PreK-Grade 6, 13th Edition, 2002 ; National Council of Teachers of English
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2001 ; Bank Street College of Education
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 2000 ; Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Kirkus Book Review Stars, December 1, 2000
Notable Children's Books, 2001 ; ALSC American Library Association
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, November 2000 
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, January 2001

Summary: 

The classic poem by Ernest Thayer is illustrated to look like an old scrapbook filled with ticket stubs, clippings, photos and other memorabilia.

Use in Classroom/Library:

Fun read aloud, then let the students re-enact the story.

Curriculum Connections:

Language Arts: Poetry
PE: Baseball rules
Social studies: history of baseball; newspaper publishing

Special Features:

In the scrapbook style artwork, various items in the background give further insight to the era of the poem. For example, an article about the Negro League is pinned to one page where a black man is acting as bat boy.

This title is in the Saint Joseph School Library.