Module 6 - Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy

SHOELESS JOE AND BLACK BETSY

Bibliographic Information

•           Bildner, P., & Payne, C. F. (2002). Shoeless joe & black betsy. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Summary
Joe Jackson was a baseball player who was being brought in to the minor league, but couldn't hit.  He went to see a friend to build a custom bat for Joe, and this story is about all the steps Joe and Ol' Charlie went through to make Black Betsy.  The bat weighed forty-eight ounces, made of hickory and stained black with tobacco juice.  Joe slept with the bat in his bed, oiled it after every use and carried it everywhere he went.  In each step of the story, Joe is given chances with major league teams but only finds success when he learns what Black Betsy has to have to make hits for him.

My Impressions
This book has beautiful illustrations that look like either chalk or watercolors, but really capture the history and nostalgia of baseball in the Teens and Twenties.  There is a lot of steps the batmaker and Joe have to go through, and the book bogs down a bit at each step.  If you have seen the movie "Sergeant York" you will recognize some similar themes of greatness being shaped by an elder mentor, tradition, and eccentricity.  There is a lot of history included in the story as well.  I will be making a book trailer of this book to post on another entry in the blog.

Reviews
Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., Larkins, J., & Lukehart, W. (2002). Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy (Book). [Review of Shoeless joe and black betsy, by P. Bildner, and C.F. Payne]. School Library Journal, 48(4), 100.

From the intriguing title to the informative afterword, this picture book will capture the attention of young baseball fans. Told in a folksy, Southern voice, with many of the stylistic elements of a tall tale, it follows Joseph Jefferson Jackson's early-20th-century path between the minor and major leagues. A series of slumps takes him to the door of bat smith Ol' Charlie, who dispenses homespun advice along with his products. The repetition and wry humor of the exchanges between the two superstitious characters pull the legend out of the story. Payne's frequent use of foreshortening highlights the role of Black Betsy (the bat); it also heightens the visual eccentricities of the two friends. The mixed-media illustrations are layered and rich in texture, qualities that add depth and drama. Bildner's bias in favor of his subject is evident in the afterword describing the allegations against Joe and his teammates (a scandal that ended their careers). A page of the hitter's major league and World Series statistics concludes the book. This title is in the same league as David A. Adler's fine Lou Gehrig (1997) and Peter Golenbock's important Teammates (1990,both Harcourt). --Trevelyn E. Jones, Editor; Luann Toth, Senior Editor; Marlene Charnizon, Asst. Book Review Ed.; Daryl Grabarek, Contributing Editor; Jeanne Larkins, Assistant Editor and Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Library Usage
I could see this book being used in a study of the Black Sox scandal, or of sports biographies.  It is a beautifully illustrated book, and could be part of a illustrator study.