Hooray for Kathryn, who made her quiet mark on baseball.
It was a time when girls jumped rope and played hopscotch, all while wearing dresses.
In this lightly fictionalized account of a historic figure, Kathryn Johnston loves baseball and is very good at the game, but she cannot play on a Little League team. She practices and plays on sandlots whenever she can and listens to Yankees games with her dad. Finally she decides to try something daring. She asks her mom to cut her hair short and borrows her brother’s pants and cap, briefly trying out for a Little League team as a boy, “Tubby” Johnston. She makes the team and plays well, but the pretense is hard to maintain. Eventually she tells the coach, who recognizes her skills and keeps her on the team. The next year, 1951, Little League institutes a rule banning girls from eligibility “under any conditions.” It wasn’t until 1974 that the ban was lifted. Lang tells the tale in a direct and sympathetic manner, without maudlin sentimentality or anger, instead stressing Kathryn’s love of baseball and her strength of character. Puglesi’s bright cartoons have the look of the mid-20th century, depicting the characters, all white, with very large round eyes in heads that are larger than their bodies while still conveying subtle changes in emotions. Young readers are introduced to an admirable woman.
Hooray for Kathryn, who made her quiet mark on baseball. (author’s note, timeline, acknowledgements) (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8075-0379-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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