Review of "Casey Back At Bat," by Dan Gutman

Review of

Casey Back At Bat, by Dan Gutman ISBN 9780060560256


Four out of five stars

 This is of course a poetic sequel to the classic baseball poem “Casey At the Bat.” The timeframe is still the early years of the twentieth century and the game is being played between Mudville and Rutland. The winner finishes first and the loser in second, so a great deal is at stake. Once again, it comes down to a single batter that will win or lose the game and that batter is of course Casey. As was the case the first time, he takes two strikes before he swings at the pitch of decision. As is typical of Casey, it is decides the outcome.

 The poetic style is two lines of rhyming verse per page, with many of the images taking up both pages. The best image is the one showing Casey taking his mighty swing. His facial grimace indicates how much effort he put into it. It is a fun book to read, with a conclusion that is not quite what you expect.