Albert’s Ballgame

ALBERT’S BALLGAME Written and illustrated by LESLIE TRYON ATHENEUM Books For Young Readers ISBN: 0-689-80187-4 By this book at your local bookstore. The Making of Albert’s Ballgame AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK IN MAY 2014. ISBN 9781481419000, May 2014, Grades K - 3

Reviews From Booklist May 1, 1996 Ages 4-6. Readers new to the series may puzzle over the title, since it is hard to figure out which animal character is Albert unless you have met him in a previous volume. No matter. The real star of the book is baseball, and this celebrates fun in the old ballpark. The fine-line drawings brightened with colorful washes make the most of the comic possibilities in the lilting, rhymed verses: "They hit fly balls / and sky balls, / slow balls, / and toe balls, / They hit foul balls way back or too wide." Don't expect a story here, just action and a bit of slapstick as the hometown amateurs put on their caps and take to the field for the entertainment of their enthusiastic friends and neighbors. Carolyn Phelan Copyright© 1996, American Library Association. All rights reserved From Kirkus Reviews , March 15, 1996 The assortment of squirrels, kangaroos, monkeys, and ostriches running the bases is not to be confused with replacement players for major leaguers on strike. It is actually the Pleasant Valley Ducks, coached by Albert (Albert's Thanksgiving, 1994, etc.) who has little more than a cameo role here. Everyone at the park has a rollicking good time amid the "stray balls and spray balls, curve balls and swerve balls." While the chaotic illustrations may be a strain on the adult eye, they exactly convey the pandemonium of a hard-fought little league contest. The ending is mildly disappointing, when the focus shifts to winning and losing, in contrast with the previous concentration on the joys of the game itself. Still, as long as baseball continues as the national pastime, this delightful offering should have a life on the shelves. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. From Horn Book In the spring, all the animals in Pleasant Valley troop out to the Old Field for the opening baseball game of the season. While Tryon's brief poem, with its internal rhymes, describes the game only in general terms, the busy gouache illustrations of Albert and all the familiar residents of Pleasant Valley try to fill in the gaps with humorous details. -- Copyright © 1996 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.