Bats at the Ballgame

Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies

Illustrated by Brian Lies

2010

     Hurry up! Come one -come all!

     We're off to watch the bats play ball!

     The bats are anxiously waiting for the sun to go down, so they can head out to watch the bat baseball game.  At the stadium, everybody is getting ready. The grounds crew is laying the bases and raking the mound with a fork.  The flying vendors shout through the rafters "Mothdogs! Get yer mothdogs here!"  The home team seems to always lose against this visitor squad, so the bats in the rafters are ready for an intense battle.  At the seven inning stretch, the home team is down by one and there's still hope. "We shake our feet and raise our wings. In voices high and strong, together, all the fans belt out the famous bat-ball song."

Ohh...hang me up in the rafters!

Hang me up by the toes!

Buy me some beenuts and Cricket Jack

     As the game reaches its final moments, the bats in the rafters reminisce about the glory days of the team and its famous old stars. They hope they can find a way to come back and beat their archenemies.  When the umpire calls out at home-plate the bat that was about to tie the game, cries of "Fire the ump! He's blind!" erupt across the stadium.  Thankfully, to the joy of the home crowd, their team wins on their last at bat.  They've done it, they've defeated their nemesis. "Can you believe?! Now nothing can erase the thrill that thunders in our hearts."  As the sun rises, it's time to fly back home.
     Bats at the Ballgame is a beautifully illustrated baseball tale that all sports fans will enjoy.  It seems fairly evident that the home team is supposed to be the Boston Red Sox and the opposing team is the New York Yankees.  Some of the images, when the grandbat  is remembering the old times, have a very close resemblance in pose and style to famous Red Sox and Yankee players of the past.  The story truly captures the ambiance and passion at the baseball stadiums.  Share this book with any baseball fan out there.