________________ CM . . . . Volume XX Number 29. . . .March 28, 2014

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Baseball Animals.

Christopher Jordan.
Toronto, ON: Fenn/Tundra, 2014.
24 pp., hardcover, $14.99.
ISBN 978-1-77049-474-9.

Subject Headings:
Animals-Juvenile literature.
Birds-Juvenile literature.
Major League Baseball (Organization)-Juvenile literature.
Baseball-Juvenile literature.

Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 4-7.

Review by Laura Dick.

* /4

   

internal artThis slim book has beautiful photographs and interesting explanations for why selected baseball teams are named after certain animals. Each page of this book introduces a question involving a major league baseball team, a picture of a particular animal and a little information about that animal. The question might be, “Which MLB team shares its name with a common red bird found in North and South America?” The information about the bird follows: “You can tell the difference between the male and female bird The male’s feathers are a much brighter red!” This and the photo alert the reader that the answer is a cardinal, which is confirmed when the page is turned and an explanation is found for which team is named after a cardinal and why. This pattern repeats itself over and over throughout the book.

     While the photos, both of the animals and of a player from each team listed, are lovely, there is not much else going on in this book. Of interest to young baseball fans perhaps, this book is too simplistic for older baseball players and too specifically connected to the sport of baseball to be of much interest to general picture book readers. Baseball Animals is obviously a marketing tool for MLB. Too narrow a niche market for this title and, therefore, not recommended.

Not Recommended.

Laura Dick is trying to raise four teenagers while attempting to maintain her sanity. She escapes to work as a branch manager at a mid-sized public library in Southwestern Ontario.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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