Betsy's Day at the Game

Gr 3–4—Betsy spends the day at the baseball park enjoying a game with her grandfather as she learns how to keep score in her notebook. Consider this informational, picture-filled volume as one that can be used for youngsters to transition from easy readers to early chapter books with an introduction to scorekeeping as a bonus. As the innings fly by, she converses with her grandfather about their favorite sport and continues to make marks such as an X in a box to indicate a strike or circles and lines to show how far the player ran after hitting the ball. Blackmore's attractive illustrations enhance the directions within the story line. The final pages include a review of how to keep score, a reproducible form so that readers can practice themselves, and a sample completed scorecard to interpret. Fans of the game will enjoy this unique offering. Other sports enthusiasts can appreciate the basic scorekeeping and look forward to learning a similar concept for their favorite sport.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA