The Shot Heard 'Round the World

The realistic paintings steal the show in The Shot Heard 'Round the World. The illustrations themselves tell a story, while they create space for anticipation when the plot lags. Set in Brooklyn in 1951, we are introduced to the rivalry between the Dodgers, Yankees, and Giants. The narrator urges us to root for the Dodgers as the play for the pennant. The artwork is stunning, but the text failed to draw me in to the story.

One thing that I enjoyed about this book were the illustrations. I like the detail and accuracy that was put into the players uniforms, and even the players facial expressions that are on the people's faces. For example, on the cover of the story, the player his eyes squinted, a stern look as he hits the game winning home run. The catcher on the cover of the story has a look of shock, with his mouth wide open and nervousness in his eyes, knowing that now the game is over and his team has lost. I also like the mood that is portrayed throughout the story. With every word that I read in the story, I started to feel a chill of both excitement and nervousness wondering who would win the game. This says a lot since I already knew who won the show more game and went onto the world series. show less

This was a timely book for me to read with my fourth grade daughter. She signed up to do a presentation about Jackie Robinson for her class. This book is about the 1950 Dodgers season and their game to win the pennant that year. The artwork and the dialogue in the story give a good feeling for the times and energy of that baseball season. Yes, Jackie Robinson played for the Dodgers at that time, he joined them in 1946 and stayed with them for about ten years. My daughter and I used fabric markers to draw pinstripes and letters on a plain white tee shirt to make it look like a 1950 Dodgers uniform. I recommend this book for boys or girls who might be interested in baseball or sports history.

From the perspective of a Dodgers fan, this is a story about how the 1951 seemed to be the dodgers year; they were going to win the pennant. Down to the bottom of the ninth inning, one crack of a bat changed everything and the dodgers lost. Good story about not giving up, even when things don't go your way.

This story talks about baseball in 1951 in Brooklyn. It tells about the near season that the Dodgers had and their race to the top. We are introduced to the rivalry between the Dodgers, Yankees, and Giants. The illustrations are great and allows you to capture that 1950's feel. The text, on the other hand, was not as good as I would have liked.

This is a great book about Jackie Robinson while he played for the Dodgers in 1950. The illustrations are beautiful and really show the essence of the time period. Here is a website showing the real shot heard round the world that you can show your kids once they've read the book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrI7dVj90zs

Genre: Informational

Review: This story tells about baseball in 1951 in Brooklyn, home of the Dodgers. It tells about the near perfect season that the Dodgers had during this season and their race to the top. It is Informational because it is a true story and portrays true facts about that baseball season and why it was such a big deal in the 50s.

Media: mixed media