The Bat Boy and His Violin

Author Gavin Curtis tells the story of young boy, Reginald and his short stint as a batboy on his father's baseball team, the Dukes. Set during the backdrop of the Negro league and the pre- civil rights era when baseball and everything else was still segregated, Curtis gives a strong first person perspective of life during that period. We see Reginald's father instill the value that everyone has something to gather in society, whether it be music, sports, or some other avenue. Reginald's uplifting spirit and penchant for music help lift the rest of team towards victory. He instills the music in every at bat. Many young children would value and take from this story as they look up to their father figures in life.

Its about a little boy whos in love with music but his papa is a die hard baseball coach. One day the dad makes the boy join his team to be the batboy. Nothing seems to go right for the little boys first game so he sits back and plays his violin. Soon the Duke's baseball team will go on a three week winning streak after being one of the worst teams in the league. After they lose the championship, the little boy thought the dad would be mad at him but the dad actually began to support the boys decision to play music instead of baseball. Its a great story about how although the dad was a big athlete the boy just wanted to play music and the dad finally accepts and supports his sons interest.

This story juxtaposes classical music and baseball to portray the beautiful relationship between a boy named Reginald and his father. Set in a time when segregation and racial prejudice were part of everyday life, the story portrays some of the real hardships endured by African Americans. However, the overarching theme of family and unconditional love is highlighted by what happens when Reginald's father promises him he can have his violin recital in their large living room (instead of the church basement) if he does a good job as the Duke's bat boy. The gorgeous watercolor illustrations combine perfectly with the text to create a truly special story.

This book could be used to teach about the Negro Leagues and more broadly about a time show more in our nation's history when not all were treated as equals. It could help to open up important discussions about racial prejudice. In addition, it would tie in perfectly with a musical unit about string instruments and classical composers like those mentioned in the text (Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Schubert, etc.). show less

This is a feel good story with a happy ending about a father getting to understand and appreciate his son's passion and talent for the violin. I think the description of Reginald playing the violin on the first page, "like a mosquito skims the water" and later "sawing at the music" is great. While dealing primarily with father/son relationships and the universal ideas of following in your family's footsteps and wanting to be seen by your family for who you truly are, this book also deals briefly with aspects of desegregation and racism in pre-civil rights America. I think this book is a must read on so many levels, regardless of classroom demographic.

In my opinion, this is a fantastic book. I liked the story because of the plot. The young boy, Reginald, enjoys playing his violin, and he’s really good at it. His father can’t understand why his son wants to stay inside and play his “fiddle”, as he calls it. His father is the manager of the Dukes, which is a baseball team in the Negro National League. The Dukes are not a very good baseball team, and this causes his father to be in a bad mood quite often. One day the father tells Reginald that he needs to get out of the house, and he informs him he will now be the new bat boy for his team. This creates a conflict in the story because Reginald would rather play his violin. Reginald tells his father so, but his father ignores him show more and looks at his trophy case instead. “‘Heck’, Papa says, ‘this might even inspire you to become a ball player the way your ol’ man was.’” Reginald is able to practice his violin during the game, and the players hear him. The players enjoy listening to him play and they actually start playing better. The father finally starts to realize that his son is talented. Another reason why I like the book is because the book brings up tough issues. The book takes place in 1948, a time when there was still segregation. When the Dukes were looking for a hotel in town they were turned away because of their skin color. “‘We don’t exactly cotton to coloreds sleepin’ in our beds,’ one white clerk says.” The team ends up sleeping on their bus. It is hard to imagine people being turned away from a hotel simple because of their skin color. Even though it is hard to imagine, it was the harsh reality during those times. The book did not focus on that issue, but the author made a point to include it. The end of the book brought a tear to my eye, the father has come to realize just how talented his son is. He even corrects someone when they call his violin a fiddle. The big idea of this book is that talent comes in many different forms. A musician is talented and so is a baseball player. show less

I really enjoy how heartfelt this book is. Not only does is speak of a time of diversity between racial groups but it shows the story of a son finally getting the attention of his father he needs. It also shows how sometimes the things that make us happy are really sitting right in front of us. I think the book timed it perfectly with having the father agree with the son's value at the very end. It really shows his knew interest in his son's playing by the way he stands up for him and agrees with him. My only critique would be to give a little more flow into the players liking his music instead of it just being as soon as he starts. I do not find this as realistic. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Reginald plays the violin. Papa calls it a fiddle. Papa is the coach for the Duke's, the worst team in the Negro leagues. He is upset that all the good players are going over to play in the white league, like Jackie Robinson did last year. So, it is 1948. Papa does not want Reginald to be fiddlin' around, so he makes him the team's bat boy. But a funny thing happened while the batters were going up. The more Reginald played on his violin, the better the team got. He played Mozart and Bach. He played fast and he played slowly. The Dukes won their first game in a very long time. Then, it was time for them to play the Monarchs. Even though Reginald played the whole game, the Dukes still lost to the Monarchs by 1 point. Reginald thought show more that Papa was upset. Shoot, no! They had given the best team in the league a run for their money, and that was good enough for Papa. Somehow, Reginald had become his father's team lucky charm, and that's no fiddlin' around. show less