Reviews for Frank and Ernest play ball

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Ages 5-9. Stars of Frank and Ernest [BKL D 15 88], the intrepid bear and elephant duo are once again in the business of business-sitting--when an emergency calls, they will run the show for the owner. In this go-around, the two may be in over their heads; they have been asked to take over the reins of a a minor league baseball team, the Elmville Mudcats. Running the Mudcats even for a day means doing everything from cutting grass, selling tickets, and shagging flies, to turning on the lights and announcing the action. The hardest task the wily pair inherit is simply learning the language of the game. Fortunately, a handy dictionary enables them to look up troublesome terms like hot corner, can of corn, and rhubarb. The two manage the job flawlessly, which is only slightly less unbelievable than the idea that the owner would cavalierly turn over his team to a bear and an elephant, even if they do talk. On the other hand, the Mudcats are in the cellar, and it can't hurt to shake up a losing ball club. Day's rich watercolors nicely capture the pastoral quality of the game (there's green in every picture), and young fans will enjoy Frank and Ernest's determined efforts to learn new meanings for old words. It's never too early, after all, to appreciate the poetry of baseball. --Ilene Cooper


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Fiction: PB Frank and Ernest, the bear and elephant duo, take a temporary job as managers of the Elmville Mudcats, and with it a crash course in baseball jargon. Day's beautiful, realistic paintings convey much of the spirit of baseball. Sports and lingo fans will enjoy the story in spite of the minimal plot. Horn Rating: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration. Reviewed by: mvk (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Frank and Ernest, the bear and elephant duo, take a temporary job as managers of the Elmville Mudcats--and with it a crash course in baseball jargon. Sports fans will enjoy the text with its in-the-know lingo (also defined for the uninitiated, like the main characters). Day's play-it-straight paintings--except for the elephant and bear in the infield--convey much of the spirit of baseball. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The bear and elephant heroes of Frank and Ernest (1988) take over another endeavor for a temporarily absent owner: a baseball team, which provides an opportunity for Day to introduce another array of slang and illustrate it in her now popular style. Somewhat less unusual than the imaginative food lingo of the earlier book, but sure to please baseball fans. Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.


School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

K-Gr 3-- The engaging bear and elephant team introduced in Frank and Ernest (Scholastic, 1988) have this time agreed to manage a baseball team for a single game in the owners' absence. The pair admit to knowing little about the game, but conscientiously do their homework and with the help of a Dictionary of Baseball, set about to learn the lingo. The pleasurable result as they prepare the field, sell tickets, attend batting practice, and finally announce the game to the fans at home is not only a behind-the-scenes look at an old-time ballgame , but a humorous vocabulary lesson for baseball novices and enthusiasts as well. Victory is sweet as the Mudcats finally move ``out of the cellar on their way to the top,'' and the dynamic duo go on to (we presume) their next adventure. Day continues her affectionate portrayal of 40s-style Americana begun in the pair's first adventure. Her expansive watercolors are full of action, interesting perspective, and clever detail. Her heroes are quite at home with their human counterparts, scooping up balls from the infield with a trunk or holding a cap over the heart with a furry paw during the National Anthem. Rewarding fare for anyone interested in America's favorite pastime, playing with words, or the adventures of an ingenuous couple of aptly named business types who enjoy a challenge. --Luann Toth, ``School Library Journal'' (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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