I thought this was a wonderful book. I enjoyed Thayers use of poetry to exrpress the emotion in the story. The language used in the text is of very high quality and when read by an adult to a child, the child is able to thourghly understand. The illustrations play an important role with the text. They not only enrich the text, but they tell a story in itself. We can feel the emotion of the players and the crowd through Polacco's work. Overall I thought this was a wonderful book and reccomend it to a child of any age.

Thayer's classic ballad, 'Casey at the Bat,' is greatly enhanced by Patricia Polacco's brilliantly achieved, big-hearted illustrations. Ms. Polacco captures emotion, action, and character through wittily exaggerated, slightly loopy pictures, and through lots of uncrowded background shenanigans. It's very cinematic: She effectively isolates action through extreme close-ups, and extends time through a montage of events occurring within a single picture. Like the auteur she is, she even adds some opening and closing story elements (while leaving the poem intact) that augment the poem's appeal to the younger reader.

This book is simply great fun to read aloud; you'll find yourself wanting to memorize its evocative imagery and epic aspirations:

"Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongue applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip."

You and your youngsters will love the humor and the drama in this a classic rendition of Thayer's beloved poem. Infants and toddlers will enjoy the bright pictures, and all readers will appreciate the perfect teaming of Thayer and Polacco.

Casey at the Bat tells about mighty Casey and his missing 2 strikes - like messing up in life.

Our elementary school library currently has three versions of the classic baseball poem, "Casey at the Bat," by three different illustrators. This one was added because of its well-deserved status as a Caldecott Honor book (for illustrations).

Since I usually make an annual Spring tradition of reading "Casey" to some classes, I can tell you that this edition by Christopher Bing works very nicely for group read-alouds. However in this setting kids miss out on the many interesting--but smaller--details that Bing has added to each page, such as a faded newspaper clipping about "the barbaric practice of using only a single ball throughout the nine innings of play..." Students are also drawn to the 1880s currency--bills and coins--shown on the page that says, "We'd put up even money now with Casey at the bat."

Christopher Bing has created a mini-museum display that many children will devour like an "I Spy" book, particularly if they are baseball fans or history buffs.

If you are not familiar with this wonderful poem, I'd put it in the same "classic" status as "The Night Before Christmas," by Clement C. Moore; "Paul Revere's Ride," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; or "The Cremation of Sam McGee," by Robert Service.

Originally submitted to a newspaper in 1883, Ernest Lawrence Thayer's poem "Casey at the Bat" has become an American classic. In essence, it is baseball's equivalent version of "Twas the Night Before Chritsmas."

"Casey at the Bat" has become a part of pop culture, and is still one of the most talked about stories of all time. Christopher Bing takes the wonderful classic, and adds in some amazing illustrations to make for a fantastic children's book. Presenting the poem with a myriad of sepia toned images is exceptional. The book reads like a scrapbook, with amazing-looking old newspaper clippings that reflect the times of the story. There are also pictures of old currency and replica baseball tickets to give it a more complete feel.

This book is put together quite nicely. Again, the illustrations are perfect, and the scrapbook appearance gives it a genuine look of something that you will want to treasure with your children. This is a classic poem that every person should have the benefit of hearing. Christopher Bing's version is the best I've ever seen, and is a must for any family with children. There will be plenty of joy in your home with this book.

Mr. Christopher Bing has reconceptualized "Casey at the Bat" from being a poem that appeared in the June 3, 1888 edition of the San Francisco Examiner into an imaginary news story with drawings and artifacts in "The Mudville Sunday Monitor" of the same date. In that reframing, the classic poem takes on a greater life and significance for fans of the poem.

Each page in this brief book resembles the yellowed file copies of that old newspaper, with historic artifacts strewn across its pages. You will see tickets to the game, money, confetti, articles of that time, advertisements, a baseball, a baseball card, and the Library of Congress catalog card for "Casey at the Bat." Even the acknowledgments are put into this format.

But this would all be but window-dressing if it were not such a powerful poem that has captured the imaginations of baseball fans for generations.

"The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine . . . ."

"The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play."

Everyone hopes that Casey will get to bat, but that's unlikely. But a miracle happens.

"For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat."

Then comes the most famous and exciting at-bat in fictional baseball history.

Alas, like the Red Sox since Babe Ruth left for New York, the end is disappointment for the fans.

This book will make a wonderful gift for the baseball fan who has everything.

After you finish oohing and aahing over the great illustrations and reliving your pleasure in the poem, I suggest that you reflect over the famous at-bats that have occurred in real baseball games. Which one is your favorite? For me, none can match Kirk Gibson's hobbling home run to help the Dodgers top the Mets in Shea Stadium in the final game of the National League Championship Series and go onto the World Series. I still get chills thinking about that. Reggie Jackson's third home run in the same World Series game comes close as a thrill.

Wait for a good pitch, and hit it out of the park!

Having a son named Casey, I have many copies of "Casey at the Bat". Each and every one of them has Cooney and Burrows die at first. The new Harper Collins edition reads.."And then when Cooney died at second, and Burrows did the same..." Not only does this interrupt the meter of the poem, it doesn't make any baseball sense. Mudville is losing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth. When Cooney gets up there are no outs. How does he die at second? How does Burrows do the same? Did they try to stretch a single into a double? I can just see the veins popping out on the managers forehead when they pulled that stunt. This line is really something to think about and I am wondering where the editors at Harper Collins came across it.
The illustrations by Leroy Neiman are wonderful. Here you see a very Mantlesque looking Casey straining every muscle to connect with that pitch and end the game with a towering blast. I also loved the fact that they are not in color. The only disturbing part is that before the final verse of the poem, you are clearly shown that Casey has missed the ball. Now we all know that Casey struck out, but you don't want to know that until the text tells you. To this day I always hope that air which is shatterd has been the result of his hitting the ball. The placement of Mr Neiman's illustrations takes that hope away. If I had been reading this to my son for the first time, he would surely have seen that the mighty Casey had failed. There would have been no need to read the last stanza. I certainly do not recommend this as a childs first introduction to this poem. The format and illustrations are wonderful, but save it for your second purchase!

What do you get when you combine Ernest Thayer's beloved, boys of summer poem and artist, Leroy Neiman's rich, charcoal illustrations? A unique and evocative rendering of Americana that adds an additional rare gem to the rich collection of Casey At The Bat books. Mr Neiman's unique, expressive, and dynamic artwork brings the poem to life in all its emotional splendor and glory. From the introduction by New York Yankee's manager, Joe Torre, to the very last page, as muscular Casey, bat in hand, hangs his head and takes that lonely walk from the plate into fictional history, young and old alike will be entranced by this powerful and engaging, larger than life story. Perfect for youngsters 8 and older, Leroy Neiman's, oversized, coffee table-like Casey At The Bat is a combination of verse and artwork at its finest, and a must for both baseball fans and art lovers everywhere.

Ernest Lawrence Thayer's classic baseball poem about the small town of Mudville and its beloved baseball hero is superbly enhanced with LeRoy Neiman's charcoal drawings in this illustrated coffee table book. This splendid edition of Casey At The Bat is enhanced with an introduction by Yankees manager Joe Torre and filled with soulful, blending of Thayer's words and Neiman's illustrations blending together to bring the spirit of this memorable and beloved poem to life. Casey At The Bat is to be treasured by all baseball buffs, and heartily recommended for school and community library collections.

The main reason on why I have reveiwed this book and have given it a 4-stars is because it's a great poem, but there are a few words missing that could and should be in it.

Definitely readable. A must for 'Casey' fans and for school libraries.

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Casey fans that day,

For their favorite ballad's history was fading fast away.

So when "Casey's Wife" was hard to find, and other poems were worse,

A pallor wreathed the features of the patrons of the verse.

A staggering few gave up the search, leaving there the rest,

With hope that springs eternal, within the human breast.

For they thought if only Gardner would take a careful look,

They'd put their hard-earned money down, if Gardner wrote a book.

But collecting all the parodies was too much work to do;

Mad Magazine had written one; and Grantland Rice wrote two.

And so the stricken multitude might never get to know 'em,

For there seemed but little chance of learning all about the poem.

But Dover publications has a Casey book to read,

With every bit of Casey lore that you will ever need.

To find these old forgotten poems, you need just take a look,

For Gardner, Martin Gardner, has compiled them in a book.

There is fun in Gardner's comments; there is wit from this old sage;

There are reams of careful research, and notes on every page.

So if you click the button, and wait a day or two,

There'll be Casey on your bookshelf, with all the others, too.

...

Oh, somewhere in these fabled lands, the sun is all too dim,

A band is silent somewhere, and somewhere hopes are slim,

And baseball lore is fading, and no one cares a bit,

But there is great joy in Mudville - Martin Gardner's scored a hit!