Bats at the Ballgame

by Brian Lies Narrated by Chris Sorensen

Overview

The New York Times best-selling author of Bats at the Beach, Brian Lies crafts heartwarming tales that allow young listeners' imaginations to soar. With infectious rhymes, Lies also packs lots of laughs into his stories about a group of young bats who are always looking for fun. Here, the crew takes to the diamond for an exciting game of baseball. It's time for the bat all-star game, and our loveable heroes are ready to cheer on their favorite players. The grass is mowed, and the scoreboard is lit up, so grab a mothdog, your best mitt and a bat-the wooden kind-and join the gang at the ballpark for an unforgettable night of strikeouts and home runs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Baseball stadiums have an innate magic, never more so than in the hands of Lies, whose latest has the winged creatures gathering for an epic game, complete with 'beenuts and Cricket Jack,' and an upside down audience" —Publishers Weekly, starred review "The visual effect is quite stunning, with some fantastically disorienting upside-down spreads to reflect the fans' hanging position, and much of the language is utterly delicious."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Careful readers will find plenty of inventive details to make this latest outing to the bats’ nocturnal world worthwhile." —School Library Journal Praise for Brian Lies’ New York Times best-selling books: Bats at the Beach "Brilliant, brilliant paintings . . . just a whiz-bang summer book, anytime book. Everybody should look at this." —Daniel Pinkwater, NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday "Perfect for sharing with younglings of the wingless sort." —Kirkus Reviews "The book truly soars in the dark yet luminescent art. . . . A grand adventure." —School Library Journal "Fetching . . . [A] wonderful read-aloud." —Newsday Bats at the Library "The library-after-dark setting works a magic all its own, taking Lies and his audience to an intensely personal place." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "[Lies] brings a sure, expressive and transporting hand to this story of a colony of bats paying a nighttime visit to a small-town library." —Kirkus Reviews "Illustrations teem with bats so charming they will even win over chiroptophobes." —Booklist "Another tale of bat mischief . . . the charm is all in the story itself." —New York Times Book Review —

Kirkus Reviews

Previously Lies has given his bats nights at the library and the beach with great success. Now they play night baseball on a ballfield laid out under a circus tent with crowds of bat fans and vendors selling appropriate snacks like "mothdogs." The game proceeds with swoops and slides and a win for the home team. The action is described in verse with the rhymes in easy, breezy aabb form for setup and denouement and heightened "Casey at the Bat" cadences and couplets for the game itself. Lies's acrylic illustrations appear as full- and double-page spreads and scattered, unframed vignettes, and all are filled with copious detail depicting uniforms, regalia and play-by-play. The visual effect is quite stunning, with some fantastically disorienting upside-down spreads to reflect the fans' hanging position, and much of the language is utterly delicious. A broad knowledge of baseball and its place in the American consciousness is assumed, as is an ability to roll with rather sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing. But as a read-aloud by a baseball fan, it's sure to inspire a love of the game—and maybe of bats as well. (Picture book. 5-8)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170759439
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/24/2013
Series:	Bat Books
Edition description:	Unabridged

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