Baseball and Poetry- Picture Books
Baseball and poetry- an unexpectedly perfect pair! It just so happens that the iconic snacks of baseball pair well with a poetry reading, and there are some fantastic baseball themed poetry picture books! As I’ve shared before, we enjoy celebrating Opening Day of baseball season with a poetry teatime, although this year’s celebration didn’t actually feature any tea. Poetry “snacktime” was more like it!
In case you were wondering, it’s not hard to make healthy-ish “crackerjacks” at home. Turns out, if you pour sugar (maple syrup), fat (coconut oil), and salt onto popcorn it tastes pretty good. 😉 This is far from a cooking blog, but FYI I popped about 3/4 cup of popcorn kernels; in a separate pan I mixed 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, and 1 tsp of salt to pour over the popped kernels; then, baked at 300 degrees for around half an hour, stirring every 10 minutes.
Pair with nuts with shells on to teach patience and perseverance. LOL. For older bookworms, perhaps this could nicely keep hands busy during read aloud time.
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Our favorite baseball poetry books:
Casey at the Bat and Casey Back at Bat. The original is a poem written in 1888; there are several great picture book versions (including this one by illustrator Patricia Polacco), but this one won the Caldecott for its illustrations. I love the newspaper-themed illustration work to match its history.
The “remake” by Dan Gutman is a perennial favorite with my students and my own kids; here, Gutman imagines that Casey has another turn at bat, this time rather than striking out he hits the ball out of the park and it travels around the world, through time, and finally circles back to the field and is caught for a “fly out” in the end. Clever, funny, and also written in the poetic style of the original.
Poem Runs by Douglas Florian. These short & sweet poems cover the various positions played and capture the excitement of both playing and watching the sport. These have a fun, light-hearted tone.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame. The lyrics to the original song are the backdrop for a fantastically illustrated picture book which, in an amazingly detailed layout, follows the historic Dodgers-Yankees World Series game of 1947, played by Jackie Robinson. This book works on so many levels, easily enjoyed by my preschooler and adults as well.
I Got It! by David Wiesner. Not poetry, but this fits perfectly into a baseball themed storytime. This is a nearly wordless book which will be best understood by older bookworms in the mid-upper elementary years and up, though my Kindergarten Bookworm enjoyed the pictures and was able to understand the emotion. The Amazon review page has a fantastic “about” section by the author, who has won oodles of awards for his illustration work. He describes the process of creating the book from his experience of those few excruciating seconds between when a fly ball is hit toward you and when it either makes it into your glove or not. Lots of depth to this “wordless” beauty!
You could also extend your poetry to include an exploration of the national anthem, sung at the start of baseball games, penned by Francis Scott Key. This version illustrated by Peter Spier is thorough and beautiful.
A great way to celebrate National Poetry Month, the return of Spring, or just the enjoyment of America’s national past time– baseball poetry for the win!
The books mentioned in this post should be available at your local library, or at the affiliate links provided. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. What are your favorite baseball books? Connect with me in the comments below, or on my Instagram account or my Facebook page.
