“Goodnight Baseball,” by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Christina Forshay.
Picture Window Books, North Mankato, Minn., 2013, 32 pages, Grades preschool - 1.
Every April, the baseball season begins. The long winter of snow and ice gives way to the thoughts of pleasant evenings watching enjoyable baseball games. The very nature of the sport requires an unhurried mindset and makes the sport relaxing to view. Games usually take about three hours, during which time the family visits with each other, eats popcorn and enjoys the excitement of home runs.
Since entire families frequently go to baseball games, the sport becomes a memory-building moment for many parents and children. Michael Dahl has written a delightful book about a young boy going to a baseball game with his father. The illustrations by Christina Forshay are fun and comforting. The name of this book is “Goodnight Baseball.”
The little boy clutches the ticket to the game in his hand as he walks to the stadium. He looks up and sees his father standing next to him. Dad is also excited to be going to the game. Together, they walk through the turnstiles after handing their tickets to the attendant.
When they walk into the seating area, the child is overwhelmed by size of the field and the excitement of the crowd. His dad puts his arm around the boy and they settle down for the game.
Everywhere people are waving banners and shouting encouragement to their favorite players. The vendors sell them bags of popcorn and soft drinks. His dad is close by and the game and fans are exciting. The food, the game and the nearness of his father is thrilling for the child.
As the game continues, more exciting things happen. The home team gets runners on base and starts a comeback. As the tension mounts, a slugger walks up to the plate. This fierce-looking man digs his cleats into the batter’s box. The pitcher winds up and hurls the ball through the air towards the plate. Uncoiling his powerful arms, the batter attacks the pitch. What happens next?
Does the hitter smash a home run? Could it be possible that the little boy will catch a foul ball during the game? Does the home team win?
Have you ever played baseball? What was your most exciting moment? Have you attended a major league game, or wondered about baseball parks? What about baseball draws more than 30 million fans a year to major league games? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this delightful book, “Goodnight Baseball” by Michael Dahl.
This is a comforting book to read to young children. The pictures convey the excitement and anticipation of attending a baseball game. Experienced readers will realize what is so familiar about the cadence of the book when the boy begins saying goodnight to all the baseball items he has encountered that day. Michael Dahl has used the famous rhythm Margaret Wise Brown utilized in her classic book “Goodnight Moon” in this story.
An altogether delightful book, you will enjoy reading this title with your younger family members. It brought back pleasant memories from my childhood and I hope it does for you as well. Enjoy!
