Synopses & Reviews
The epic poem “Casey at the Bat” is recast for the T-ball set with much hilarity; this time, Casey comes out a winner!
Review
Praise for Mighty Casey:
"It's a cute story with comic illustrations showing all manner of lame behavior by the Dogs during the game, including a kid who falls asleep, one who climbs a tree and another who pees on the fence." —San Francisco Chronicle
“With engaging read-aloud rhythms and a misfit cast young children will cheer for, this story is assured a place in (Little League) baseball lore.” —Booklist
“Reworking Ernest Thayers poem “Casey at the Bat” for Little Leaguers, Preller (Along Came Spider) and Cordell (Righty and Lefty) knock out a spirited celebration of a team with the right attitude, if not skills . . . Set against ample white space, Cordells endearingly geeky kids take center stage (mid-game distractions include tree-climbing, a bee sting and a bathroom break on the left field fence). Its hard to envision a reader who wont take to these underdogs.” —Publishers Weekly
“The ink and watercolor drawings vary in size and are full of energy and movement as the players engage in different activities. The faces are expressive and fun to look at. This is a great baseball book for all those T-ball and Little League players out there.” —School Library Journal
“As a writer of verse, Preller, author of Six Innings (2008), makes an excellent prose novelist. His rhymed tale of a Little League nonhitter who lights a fire in his team of total losers shows plenty of heart, if shaky scansion . . . Cordells simply drawn cartoons of geeky, distracted children sporting oversized batting helmets suit this lightweight remake of a certain famous baseball ballad.” —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for James Prellers Six Innings:
“If Judy Blume could write a book about Little League, about its players deepest fears and secret dreams, it might come out something like this.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Dishing up a rare example of a character-driven tale that is also suspenseful and exciting, the author of the Jigsaw Jones series chronicles a magnificent championship game.” —Booklist, starred review
Praise for Matthew Cordell:
“When youre a pair of feet, youre pretty much stuck with the personality of the appendage beside you. Cordells understated watercolors help by lending the tale a soft, humorous tone.” —Kirkus, review of Righty and Lefty
“The emotional understatement of Cordells austere ink-and-watercolor pictures, combined with his keen sense of composition, gives Tobys struggle texture and pacing.” —Publishers Weekly, review of Toby and the Snowflakes
Review
Praise for Mighty Casey:"It's a cute story with comic illustrations showing all manner of lame behavior by the Dogs during the game, including a kid who falls asleep, one who climbs a tree and another who pees on the fence."--San Francisco Chronicle
“With engaging read-aloud rhythms and a misfit cast young children will cheer for, this story is assured a place in (Little League) baseball lore.”Booklist
“Reworking Ernest Thayers poem “Casey at the Bat” for Little Leaguers, Preller (Along Came Spider) and Cordell (Righty and Lefty) knock out a spirited celebration of a team with the right attitude, if not skills . . . Set against ample white space, Cordells endearingly geeky kids take center stage (mid-game distractions include tree-climbing, a bee sting and a bathroom break on the left field fence). Its hard to envision a reader who wont take to these underdogs.”Publishers Weekly
“The ink and watercolor drawings vary in size and are full of energy and movement as the players engage in different activities. The faces are expressive and fun to look at. This is a great baseball book for all those T-ball and Little League players out there.”School Library Journal
“As a writer of verse, Preller, author of Six Innings (2008), makes an excellent prose novelist. His rhymed tale of a Little League nonhitter who lights a fire in his team of total losers shows plenty of heart, if shaky scansion . . . Cordells simply drawn cartoons of geeky, distracted children sporting oversized batting helmets suit this lightweight remake of a certain famous baseball ballad.”Kirkus Reviews
Praise for James Prellers Six Innings:
“If Judy Blume could write a book about Little League, about its players deepest fears and secret dreams, it might come out something like this.”Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Dishing up a rare example of a character-driven tale that is also suspenseful and exciting, the author of the Jigsaw Jones series chronicles a magnificent championship game.”Booklist, starred review
Praise for Matthew Cordell:
“When youre a pair of feet, youre pretty much stuck with the personality of the appendage beside you. Cordells understated watercolors help by lending the tale a soft, humorous tone.”Kirkus, review of Righty and Lefty
“The emotional understatement of Cordells austere ink-and-watercolor pictures, combined with his keen sense of composition, gives Tobys struggle texture and pacing.”Publishers Weekly, review of Toby and the Snowflakes
Synopsis
After one too many losses, Casey Jenkins decides his team has had enough! Despite being down five-nothing in the first (and despite the fact that half the team is daydreaming and the outfielder needs to pee), Casey wont give up. Can the worst player on the team lead the Delmar Dogs to their first win of the season? With Casey Jenkins at the bat, its anyones game!
Synopsis
After one too many losses, Casey Jenkins decides his team has had enough! Despite being down five-nothing in the first (and despite the fact that half the team is daydreaming and the outfielder needs to pee), Casey wont give up. Can the worst player on the team lead the Delmar Dogs to their first win of the season? With Casey Jenkins at the bat, its anyones game!
About the Author
James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery series, which has sold over 10 million copies (of 32 titles) since 1998. His first stand-alone novel, SIX INNINGS, will be published by Feiwel and Friends in Spring 2008. In addition to writing full-time, he plays in a men’s hardball league and coaches Little League. He compares coaching kids Casey’s age to “trying to hold the attention of a herd of earthworms.” James Preller lives in Delmar, New York. You can visit him on the web at www.jamespreller.com. Matthew Cordell is the illustrator of TOBY AND THE SNOWFLAKES (Houghton) written by his wife, Julie Halpern, and RIGHTY AND LEFTY (Scholastic, Fall 2007) written by Rachel Vail.