#390 – Goodnight Baseball (Sports Illustrated Kids) by Michael Dahl

By SMorris/KidLitReviews

goodnight baseball jacketflapGoodnight Baseball (Sports Illustrated Kids)

by Michael Dahl

Christina Forshay, illustrator

Picture Window Books

5 Stars

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Back Cover:  From arrival st the stadium to the last goodnight, Goodnight Baseball is a sweet, nostalgic tale—told in gentle, fun rhyme—taking readers through the thrill of a baseball game.  With rich illustrations and careful rhythm, this is the perfect bedtime book for every sports fan.

Opening:  The great big stadium is outside of town. Fans and friends come from miles around.

About the Story:  An unnamed father and son spend the day at the local baseball teams’ stadium.  They get their seats and refreshments, settling in for a great day.  The game begins.  Pitchers throw the ball to waiting batters, who smack it into the field.  Fielders snag the hit ball, throwing it at the runner’s base in an attempt to make an out.  After three outs, the sides change and now the home team is up to bat.  At game’s end, the father and son say goodnight to various people and things, then return home where the son is tucked in for a goodnight’s sleep.

GHT BASEBALL Spread3

What I Thought:   Told in simple, short sentences Goodnight Baseball tells the story of a day at the local baseball stadium, watching the pros play baseball.  The day goes by, step-by-step from entering the stadium to leaving at game’s end.  Any kid could put themselves and their father into this story, which is a fun option for imaginative children.  Kids can imagine the sights and sounds of a ballgame in a real stadium, shared with their parent.

I like the play-by-play action, as it were.  The short sentences call the action on the field and in the seats. Kids can read this one alone or share it with a parent.  Goodnight Baseball is a positive experience, with smiles on every character.  Substituting their own favorite teams for the generic Rockets and Stars kids can imagine being at any game with any team, pro or not.  The author has father and son saying goodnight to home plate and other inanimate objects.  This unusual approach brings out some of the elements of a baseball game. 

Goodnight, diamond.  Goodnight, grass.  Goodnight, home plate where each runner ran past.

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I love the illustrations.  Everything is bright and authentic.  The boy smiles so wide he has no trouble eating his hotdog.  Soon, he catches a baseball, which is a thrilling moment is a kid’s life.  I still have the baseball I caught at a Detroit Tiger’s game when I was eight or nine.  This feeling is shown again when the boy falls asleep, a stuffed baseball souvenir in his hand.

Young kids, especially boys, will love this picture book.  The story is simple but the action is great and the boy’s wonderful afternoon is visibly evident from his exciting stadium entrance to falling asleep in the car on the drive home.  With all the goodnights, Goodnight Baseball makes a good bedtime story.  Because of reading Goodnight Baseball, parents may find themselves saying good night to all sorts of objects in their child’s bedroom.  Goodnight Baseball is a Sports Illustrated Kids edition.

TRAILER

Like what you see?  Follow or Like the Author, Illustrator, and Publisher, below!

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Goodnight Baseball (Sports Illustrated Kids)

by Michael Dahl    website    blog    facebook    Capstone bio

Christina Forshay, illustrator    website    blog    facebook    twitter

Picture Window Books    website    blog    facebook    twitter

Released 2013

ISBN:  978-1-62370-000-3

32 pages

Ages: 4 to 7

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© 2013 y Capstone Young Readers, used with permission

Text copyright © 2013 by Michael Dahl

Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Christina Forshay

Picture Window Books is an imprint of Capstone Books

Sports Illustrated Kids is a registered trademark of Time, Inc.

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DONATED TO LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY OR SCHOOL

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11 thoughts on “#390 – Goodnight Baseball (Sports Illustrated Kids) by Michael Dahl”

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  5. I LOVE baseball! (but prefer to watch, not play 😎 ) This sounds like a great book! I once went up on the Jumbotron. I made a fool of myself! I was on the left side of the stadium (according to the Jumbotron) and looked at the Jumbotron, and saw a person with their head turned. How do those people always see the camera? They always smile and wave! I couldn’t see the camera! 😡

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    • Actually, baseball season is winding down. the LIttle League World Series is the end of baseball until next Spring. The World Series will start on October 23rd. I thought Goodnight Baseball was appropriate for this time of year.

      I bet you made a great outfielder. Running after those balls you had an advantage. You were probably the fastest runner on both teams! How did you bat? 😀

      Since they would not allow girls in Little League–Title 9 had yet to pass–I played softball as a kid. Now, girls play fastpitch softball, which is identical to baseball with the exception of a larger ball. I never played this but I did coach it for seven wonderful years. I quit only because I was forced out by the lupus. I tried, but it won. 😦

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    • I love baseball, but more as a player than a watcher. What I do love to watch is the Little League World Series every August. I missed it this year, but usually I watch as many games as I can. The kids are so good and the plays they can make are often outstanding. As a former coach, I get a vicarious thrill from these games. 😀

      If I go to a baseball game, I enjoy it very much. But to watch on TV, I pass. The World Series does not entertainment like it did as a kid. I like knowing who won and seeing any fantastic plays, but I can leave the games for more productive activities–like these reviews!

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      • I played softball as a kid, but it was boring for me in the outfield. Softballs don’t travel as far, especially with girls and kids. I wanted to be active, so quit. You know how it is with coaches and favoritism, and I guess ’cause I had a strong arm, I was out there, too, but there was never anything to field.

        I got into baseball when my son was young, became a bit obsessed and started flinging statistics left and right. Once I started watching the games with him and my mother, then got to know the players and much more about the game, I became a true fan. It got to the point I would be taping the games if I wasn’t at home, and got REALLY upset if they mentioned the outcome before I had a chance to watch it. I watched all the pre-game and post-game shows. Just too many hours, then once stuff started stirring up with some of the players, I had enough of the “soap opera” part of it and needed to move on. Then, once they took down the old stadium it helped push me away more. I barely watch any of it anymore, but am better off since I can focus on things that really matter again! 🙂

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