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Title: Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy by Phil Bildner, C.F. Payne ISBN: 0-689-82913-2 Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Juv) Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 Format: School & Library Binding Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Joe Jackson and his Partner, Betsy.....
Comment: "Shoeless Joe Jackson once played an entire baseball game in his stocking feet. That's why they called him Shoeless Joe. Some say he was the greatest baseball player ever. Even the mighty Babe Ruth copied his swing. But what most people don't know is just how Shoeless Joe became such a great hitter..." So begins Phil Bildner's engaging tale about Joe Jackson's infamous bat, Betsy. It was a hitting slump that sent Joe to bat smith, Charlie Ferguson. He wanted a special bat that "pitchers are going to honor and respect" and he knew Ol' Charlie was the man to make it. After several trials and errors, Betsy came to life, 36 inches long, and 48 ounces, she was made out of hickory from the strong, north side of the tree, and stained black with tobacco juice to "make her dark and scary-looking." And with the help of Betsy at the plate, Shoeless Joe Jackson batted .408 his rookie year. "And to this day, no rookie has ever had a finer year than Shoeless Joe." Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy is more fable than biography, and Mr Bildner takes a lot of liberties with the facts. But his text is entertaining, and filled with humor and lots of back woods colloquialisms that make this picture book perfect for reading aloud. C. F. Payne's marvelously expressive and detailed illustrations are captivating, and add just the right touch of drama to bring the story to life. With a comprehensive Afterword and "baseball card" full of facts, figures, and statistics to complete the story, Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy is a fine debut that is sure to whet the appetite of baseball fans 5-10, and send them out looking for more.
Rating: 2
Summary: Misinformation gets in the way of good writing
Comment: While this is a beautifully illustrated and well written book, the liberties the author took with the story of Joe Jackson are a disservice to young readers and listeners. My second-grade son was so anxious to get this book, but found that it didn't really ring true. The bat-maker calls Joe by the nickname "Shoeless Joe" before that nickname was used -- and even before the shoeless incident.
This really ruined the authenticity of the book for us and led to a discussion about what can be believed in books. ...
Rating: 4
Summary: Pleasure to read/use in class
Comment: "Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy" sets us in the Carolinas, where Shoeless Joe, before he makes his record-setting Rookie year, talks to the best bat maker in the state to make him a bat to get out of his horrid slump. Through much trial and error, Joe finds the perfect bat. The plot was very clear, but I had to say this is one of the best books I've seen in review for my Teaching Reading course.
The slang use is very realistic and open, and the way it repeated itself drew the children into the story. The illustrations are beautiful to the eye and fit well into the "back woods" feel of the story, mostly set in the Bat Maker's shack.
The book takes more then a few liberties with the truth - but they make the story more entertaining. The authors explain where they stretched the facts in a two-page story explanation, which includes Joe's involvement in the Black Sox scandal, and followed by another beautiful full-page drawing by C. F. Payne and a full career statistics.
I recommend this book - a student with an interest in baseball will eat this up. Students who like different stories, or who like when they are read to in an odd accent will want more. I hope there will be, with so many great baseball stories out there.
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Title: Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie by Joe Hayes, Joseph Daniel Fiedler ISBN: 0439293111 Publisher: Scholastic Pub. Date: November, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Buffalo Nickel by Taylor Morrison ISBN: 0618108556 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Pub. Date: 25 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot: A True Story of the Berlin Airlift and the Candy That Dropped from the Sky by Margot Theis Raven, Gijsbert Van Frankenhuyzen ISBN: 1585360694 Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Wingwalker by Rosemary Wells ISBN: 0786803975 Publisher: Hyperion Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
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Title: Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz, Hudson Talbott ISBN: 0399235760 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Juv Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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