Take Me Out to the Ball Game

January 24, 2011
This ode to Norworth's beloved anthem includes the song's little-known verses about "Katie Casey," who is depicted as a baseball-obsessed cat. When Katie's "beau" (a white dog) asks Katie to the movies, she instead suggests a trip to the stadium. There, they root, root, root for the home team, which includes a giraffe, zebra, and elephant. Sometimes awkward phrasing and meter ("When the score was 2-2,/ Katie Casey, she had the clue,/ to cheer on the boys,/ she knew just what to do") may explain why the verses don't have the popularity of the chorus, but fans should still enjoy Hirao's dynamic scenes of ballpark action. An included CD features Carly Simon's performance of the song and two others. Ages 4–up.

March 1, 2011
Preschool-K The slim volumes in the Childrens Favorite Activity Songs series each contain a page explaining the benefits of nursery rhymes and activity songs. The bullet-pointed list notes that singing along helps memory, expands vocabulary, builds a childs self-confidence, and sharpens listening skills, among other reasons. The songs themselves will already be familiar to some children; regardless, information at the back explains the activity. Some will be surprised to find that Take Me out to the Ball Game has an activity that goes with it, too. Its not much of one, with some swaying, shaking of the head, and shrugging of the shoulders, but the enthusiasm associated with the tune comes through. The colorful art features front-and-center characters against white space, all of whom seem to be having a fine time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

April 11, 2011
Readers can read the lyrics to the perennial baseball anthem, while listening to a tinny instrumental recording that plays when the book opens. Scenes alternate between mid-action plays on the field and bright depictions of a family cheering in the stadium along with other eager fans. The musical component and bright, enthusiastic images should help get young readers geared up for the season. Ages 2â5.

January 4, 1993
Gillman scores a solid hit with this spirited rendition of the familiar ballpark song in a sensational picture book that skillfully conjures up the smell of peanuts, popcorn and sweaty uniforms. Norworth's tune itself is secondary to the details included in Gillman's nostalgia-filled paintings of the 1947 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Ebbets Field. As in a wordless picture book, the illustrations tell the story right down to the final ``three strikes, you're out'' as the Dodgers lose the game. Gillman has provided readers with plenty of absorbing and ingenious details--from his baseball card self-portrait on the jacket flap to the action-filled paintings of Jackie Robinson, announcer Red Barber and the members of the ``Sym-Phony,'' a raggle-taggle band of Dodger fans who heckled umpires with their rendition of ``Three Blind Mice.'' A lively, well-researched four-page addition to the text explains both the background of the song and the characters who appear in it. An exciting view of history and an intriguing book of baseball trivia combined, this ``Ballgame'' will be met with resounding cheers. All ages. Children's BOMC selection.

January 31, 2005
Just in time for spring training, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, based on the lyrics of the well-known tune, inspires John Stadler's intricately detailed pop-up spreads. Howler Stadium, chock-full of animals, captures the bustling enthusiasm of the crowd. A team of octopi act as efficient ticket collectors, pull-tabs allow children to decide whether a leopard successfully steals first or a bespectacled elephant rises to cheer for the home team. .

Starred review from March 6, 2006
Pete Hamill's engaging introduction to this ebullient volume recalls the pivotal role baseball played in many Americans' lives in the early 20th century (pre-TV and even radio), including those living near Manhattan's legendary Polo Grounds. In Burke's (My Brothers' Flying Machine
) stunning, realistic oil paintings, this ballpark becomes the backdrop for the lyrics of Norworth's renowned 1908 song, which the entertainer penned while riding the Ninth Avenue El overlooking the Polo Grounds on a game day. Burke cleverly presents the lyrics in the context of the September 23, 1908 game between the New York Giants and the Chicago Cubs during the National League pennant race. In the foreground—and featured in the lesser-known inaugural verse of the song—the artist pictures Katie Casey, the feisty young fan whose voice delivers the familiar chorus. As the exciting game plays on, sidebars provide additional details about the Polo Grounds, close-ups of Christy Mathewson's favorite pitches ("the greatest pitcher in New York Giants history"), the 1908 Giants' team roster as well as the origins of "hot dog" and Cracker Jack. Handsome artwork that deftly evokes the period as well as on-field action, fun facts and contagious baseball euphoria help deliver a grand slam of a volume that will be a hit with fans of all generations. The musical score by Albert Von Tilzer follows an "extra innings" page that describes the suspenseful end to the Giants-Cubs contest of 1908. Ages 3-6.