Mama Played Baseball
Kindergarten-Grade 3-While Amy's father is fighting in World War II, her mother gets an unusual job to make ends meet: she becomes a professional baseball player. Though at first the girl wonders, "What kind of job is that?" she enthusiastically roots for Mama during games and helps her practice when she can. Amy narrates the story in direct and simple sentences, focusing on the events that affect her and her family. Adler provides basic historical background in an author's note, but appropriately sticks to the child's perspective in this heartfelt narrative. Full-page oil paintings evoke the time and place. Figures and faces stand out nicely against the comfortable olive and brown tones in the background. Broad neighborhood and crowd scenes alternate with closer views of individuals. After a successful season, Mama dresses for a game but takes her daughter to the bus station instead of the stadium where they meet Dad, his uniform as impressive as Mama's. Amy's surprise for her father turns out to be her own drawings of Mama playing baseball. The revelation is not especially dramatic, but it fits just right with the warm mood of the story. The final painting focuses on the three family members enjoying the peace of home.Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, ORCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.