Diamond Life: Baseball Sights, Sounds, and Swings
Grade 2-5--Smith captures the colorful language and vivid images of the game: "Hey batta-batta-batta-batta-battaaaaaaa!… Show me something batta. Put me to work.… My feet are falling asleep out here" ("Waiting Game"). The author is especially skilled at creating shaped poems, like "There it Goes!!" which mimics the arc of the ball on its way from the pitcher to the batter. "Diamond Vision" is shaped like a baseball diamond and "To the Moon" like a baseball. The energetic, playful language begs to be read aloud. Combined with bright colors, bold print in a variety of fonts, and exceptional photography, this book is a winner.--Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.