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I Got It!
Please Read Brand New, International Softcover Edition, Printed in black and white pages, minor self wear on the cover or pages, Sale restriction may be printed on the book, but Book name, contents, and author are exactly same as Hardcover Edition. Fast delivery through DHL/FedEx express.
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2018
6 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
David Wiesner
102 books624 followersDuring David Wiesner's formative years, the last images he saw before closing his eyes at night were the books, rockets, elephant heads, clocks, and magnifying glasses that decorated the wallpaper of his room. Perhaps it was this decor which awakened his creativity and gave it the dreamlike, imaginative quality so often found in his work.
As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings.
In time, the young Wiesner began exploring the history of art, delving into the Renaissance at first — Michelangelo, Dürer, and da Vinci — then moving on to such surrealists as Magritte, de Chirico, and Dalí. As he got older, he would sit, inspired by these masters, at the oak drafting table his father had found for him and would construct new worlds on paper and create wordless comic books, such as Slop the Wonder Pig, and silent movies, like his kung fu vampire film The Saga of Butchula.
Wiesner has always been intrigued by and curious about what comes before and after the captured image. His books somehow convey the sequence of thoughts leading up to and following each picture, and that quality explain why they are frequently described as cinematic.
At the Rhode Island School of Design, Wiesner was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for wordless storytelling. There he met two people who would figure prominently in his life: Tom Sgouros, to whom Tuesday is dedicated, and David Macaulay, to whom The Three Pigs is dedicated. These two men not only taught Wiesner the fundamentals of drawing and painting but also fostered his imaginative spirit and helped him comprehend the world around him. Sgouros's and Macaulay's artistic influences were vital to Wiesner's development into the acclaimed picture-book author he is today.
David Wiesner has illustrated more than twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two of his other titles, Sector 7 and Free Fall, are Caldecott Honor Books. An exhibit of Wiesner's original artwork, "Seeing the Story," toured the United States in 2000 and 2001. Among his many honors, Wiesner holds the Japan Picture Book Award for Tuesday, the Prix Sorcières (the French equivalent of the Caldecott Medal) for The Three Pigs, and a 2004 IBBY Honour Book nomination for illustration, also for The Three Pigs. Flotsam, his most recent work, was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.
Wiesner lives with his wife and their son and daughter in the Philadelphia area, where he continues to create dreamlike and inventive images for books.
As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings.
In time, the young Wiesner began exploring the history of art, delving into the Renaissance at first — Michelangelo, Dürer, and da Vinci — then moving on to such surrealists as Magritte, de Chirico, and Dalí. As he got older, he would sit, inspired by these masters, at the oak drafting table his father had found for him and would construct new worlds on paper and create wordless comic books, such as Slop the Wonder Pig, and silent movies, like his kung fu vampire film The Saga of Butchula.
Wiesner has always been intrigued by and curious about what comes before and after the captured image. His books somehow convey the sequence of thoughts leading up to and following each picture, and that quality explain why they are frequently described as cinematic.
At the Rhode Island School of Design, Wiesner was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for wordless storytelling. There he met two people who would figure prominently in his life: Tom Sgouros, to whom Tuesday is dedicated, and David Macaulay, to whom The Three Pigs is dedicated. These two men not only taught Wiesner the fundamentals of drawing and painting but also fostered his imaginative spirit and helped him comprehend the world around him. Sgouros's and Macaulay's artistic influences were vital to Wiesner's development into the acclaimed picture-book author he is today.
David Wiesner has illustrated more than twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two of his other titles, Sector 7 and Free Fall, are Caldecott Honor Books. An exhibit of Wiesner's original artwork, "Seeing the Story," toured the United States in 2000 and 2001. Among his many honors, Wiesner holds the Japan Picture Book Award for Tuesday, the Prix Sorcières (the French equivalent of the Caldecott Medal) for The Three Pigs, and a 2004 IBBY Honour Book nomination for illustration, also for The Three Pigs. Flotsam, his most recent work, was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.
Wiesner lives with his wife and their son and daughter in the Philadelphia area, where he continues to create dreamlike and inventive images for books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
August 25, 2018
Another hit out of the park by David Wiesner. This book got to me and I had tears in my eyes. It is a wordless books besides the I Got it in a place or two.
It took me back to those forced softball games at school and camp. I was actually an athletic kid. I would play catch and sports with my family and I was proficient and did very well. I got around other kids and I couldn't do any of it. I felt so small like this kid did. No one wanted me on their team so I got sent out to whichever field that only the leftie's hit to so I could stand there out of the way. This kid tripped over a tree that grew right in front of him. I totally feel this book. Every once in a while I did something right and it still didn't redeem me to my classmates.
I loved the play in this book. I don't know why, but this book really got me. I totally relate to it. I thought this book was great, not his best, but a great little story.
My nephew enjoyed this because he can read it by himself. The niece isn't into softball, so she didn't care for it so much. She thinks wordless is for babies too, and she is wanting to read older stuff since she can. I thought it was a great little story. It brought tears to my eyes.
It took me back to those forced softball games at school and camp. I was actually an athletic kid. I would play catch and sports with my family and I was proficient and did very well. I got around other kids and I couldn't do any of it. I felt so small like this kid did. No one wanted me on their team so I got sent out to whichever field that only the leftie's hit to so I could stand there out of the way. This kid tripped over a tree that grew right in front of him. I totally feel this book. Every once in a while I did something right and it still didn't redeem me to my classmates.
I loved the play in this book. I don't know why, but this book really got me. I totally relate to it. I thought this book was great, not his best, but a great little story.
My nephew enjoyed this because he can read it by himself. The niece isn't into softball, so she didn't care for it so much. She thinks wordless is for babies too, and she is wanting to read older stuff since she can. I thought it was a great little story. It brought tears to my eyes.
August 31, 2018
You say "I got it!" when you are under a fly ball and you want your teammates to know not to crowd in and try to also get it, catch it. Sometimes when it is hit really high (as in the sports announcer cliche, "a towering fly ball") it seems like you wait forever. How can you even see it, in the sun, like a pinprick in the sky?
Wiesner illustrates beautfully (and in an almost hyper-realist fashion) a kind of surrealist fantasy of what happens in all the time the ball is ip in there. A couple times the main kid hoping to catch the ball trips on a root--in a field?! well, just go with it), the root becomes a tree, the only team floats out to try and catch it, they are all flying, and so on. Lovely,ethereal dream of a book.
Oh, and wordless, except for those words, "I got it!" in a couple places.
I played Little League every year possible, and every position possible except catcher, which scared me--you choose to have a bat swung in front of your face?! You invite a baseball at 85 mph to be directed to your crotch?!--and have caught--and dropped--countless baseballs.
Wiesner illustrates beautfully (and in an almost hyper-realist fashion) a kind of surrealist fantasy of what happens in all the time the ball is ip in there. A couple times the main kid hoping to catch the ball trips on a root--in a field?! well, just go with it), the root becomes a tree, the only team floats out to try and catch it, they are all flying, and so on. Lovely,ethereal dream of a book.
Oh, and wordless, except for those words, "I got it!" in a couple places.
I played Little League every year possible, and every position possible except catcher, which scared me--you choose to have a bat swung in front of your face?! You invite a baseball at 85 mph to be directed to your crotch?!--and have caught--and dropped--countless baseballs.
April 4, 2018
David Wiesner has made some of my absolute favorite picture books. Time and again, he has put out conceptually playful stories jam-packed with memorable illustrations, taking me on journeys to new worlds and guiding me to new perspectives. But something about ‘I Got It’ is so pedestrian. There is nothing normal or obvious about this drawn out set of pictures depicting the frantic reach to catch a fly ball. It might be his decision to lean on paintings of child characters (historically never his best stylistic element), rather than find more colorful environment or creature based visual metaphors. I’m not sure. All I know is it’s hard to see your heroes fall. Between Van Allsburg’s ‘The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie’ and this entry in Wiesner’s canon, I have to wonder if new editors and art directors are misguidedly pushing them towards books that feel less like the experimental surrealism of their heyday and more like generic market-driven, impersonal stories. It could also have to do with getting older and more tired. Regardless, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for yet another Wiesner classic!
March 28, 2018
How I hate giving a 3 star rating to anything David Wiesner. I chose him for my thesis subject back in college. The concept is great and for any other illustrator this title might be closer to a 4 star. It is mediocre for a great talent like Wiesner. Maybe the book will grow on me in time. I do love to be wowed during my first viewing. I did not get that from I Got It! Kids who like baseball and sports will probably enjoy it.
May 22, 2018
Great pictures and a clever idea to go back in time to show a group of kids in a pick up baseball game. Not a uniform or grown up in sight. This also makes it a little hard to sort out the kids, especially for younger ones looking at the story. But the flights of fantasy are there for the imagination, supported by beautiful, life like, multi layered drawings. The lack of words lends itself to creating a variety of scenarios.
January 2, 2021
Wiesner depicts a nerve-wracking few seconds in a baseball game in a nearly wordless, fantastical and suspenseful visual narrative.
May 5, 2018
This picture-book by 3 time Caldecott medal winner and 3 time honoree David Wiesner is a nearly wordless picture-book, in fact that's what Mr. Wiesner is known for, wordless picture-books.
The book is nicely drawn but doesn't really fall into one style of drawing, it's semi realistic and semi cartoonish looking. The characters are a mix of boys and girls and a mix of ethnicities, the main character is a red shirt wearing white boy. The story seemed to be saying to keep trying even if you fail the first time, but in a dreamy somewhat surreal way. The illustrator/author plays with the size of the ball, the boy and his friends in the course of the book, as the boy tries again and again to catch the ball. Each time he tries to catch the ball the ball, his friends or himself change size. I'm sure this would not phase a child, but it was a bit odd to me. There are birds drawn into most of the scenes and they fly the direction the boy is going, perhaps in an attempt to show children they can fly too? Here's a description of the book page by page.
The only 3 words uttered in the book are the title itself "I GOT IT". Those words are exclaimed on the 3rd and 2nd to last pages, all else between the covers is illustration. The pictures start conventionally in a wide panel format as the main character, a boy in a red shirt, is given an outfield position. The ball is hit and the boy in the shirt exclaims the title as the pictures turn into full page illustrations without panels. As he tries to catch the ball he trips on a root and falls forward, doing a full face plant in front of the other players who all react by covering their faces in either empathy or frustration. By the next page the same boy is trying to catch the ball again and again runs into roots, bigger ones this time, and as he falls forward birds take off around him and fly in the direction that he is falling. This time the boy runs square into the tree who's roots he had tripped over, this illustration is a two page one. Again the boy is up and trying to catch the ball in a single page illustration but on the next page where he had tripped before this time there is no root, only some birds flying in the same direction that he is running. The following page goes back to the two page large illustration style, a giant baseball dominates and spreads across both pages while the boy is much smaller and only drawn into the bottom left corner of the picture. The following page reverts again to a single page drawing as the boy reaches for the ball, but this time 3 other players are reaching for it too and on the next page it seems like the whole team is trying to catch the ball. The next page goes again to the two page format, there is no ball in the scene, the other players are still trying to catch the ball but are drawn to the scale of the giant baseball from a few pages back. The boy is now trying to catch the other players, presumably his friends, by placing his mitt on the heel of one of their giant shoes and there now are many more birds flying along with the boy. The next page is another 2 page drawing and this time the friends are enormous, it's all the boy can do to hang onto their shorts as the birds fly along with him. The boy is able to vault onto the heads of his friends by the next scene, another 2 pager, and jumps from head to head as the birds fly with him. Finally with one big leap the boy jumps from the tip of the giant mitt of his friends along with the most birds seen yet, and finally makes the catch, exclaiming I GOT IT as the birds watch on pleasantly. The boy and his team jump for joy as the player who hit the ball frowns. The book ends with the boy, his team and a few birds sitting against a chain-link fence watching the game happily.
The book is nicely drawn but doesn't really fall into one style of drawing, it's semi realistic and semi cartoonish looking. The characters are a mix of boys and girls and a mix of ethnicities, the main character is a red shirt wearing white boy. The story seemed to be saying to keep trying even if you fail the first time, but in a dreamy somewhat surreal way. The illustrator/author plays with the size of the ball, the boy and his friends in the course of the book, as the boy tries again and again to catch the ball. Each time he tries to catch the ball the ball, his friends or himself change size. I'm sure this would not phase a child, but it was a bit odd to me. There are birds drawn into most of the scenes and they fly the direction the boy is going, perhaps in an attempt to show children they can fly too? Here's a description of the book page by page.
The only 3 words uttered in the book are the title itself "I GOT IT". Those words are exclaimed on the 3rd and 2nd to last pages, all else between the covers is illustration. The pictures start conventionally in a wide panel format as the main character, a boy in a red shirt, is given an outfield position. The ball is hit and the boy in the shirt exclaims the title as the pictures turn into full page illustrations without panels. As he tries to catch the ball he trips on a root and falls forward, doing a full face plant in front of the other players who all react by covering their faces in either empathy or frustration. By the next page the same boy is trying to catch the ball again and again runs into roots, bigger ones this time, and as he falls forward birds take off around him and fly in the direction that he is falling. This time the boy runs square into the tree who's roots he had tripped over, this illustration is a two page one. Again the boy is up and trying to catch the ball in a single page illustration but on the next page where he had tripped before this time there is no root, only some birds flying in the same direction that he is running. The following page goes back to the two page large illustration style, a giant baseball dominates and spreads across both pages while the boy is much smaller and only drawn into the bottom left corner of the picture. The following page reverts again to a single page drawing as the boy reaches for the ball, but this time 3 other players are reaching for it too and on the next page it seems like the whole team is trying to catch the ball. The next page goes again to the two page format, there is no ball in the scene, the other players are still trying to catch the ball but are drawn to the scale of the giant baseball from a few pages back. The boy is now trying to catch the other players, presumably his friends, by placing his mitt on the heel of one of their giant shoes and there now are many more birds flying along with the boy. The next page is another 2 page drawing and this time the friends are enormous, it's all the boy can do to hang onto their shorts as the birds fly along with him. The boy is able to vault onto the heads of his friends by the next scene, another 2 pager, and jumps from head to head as the birds fly with him. Finally with one big leap the boy jumps from the tip of the giant mitt of his friends along with the most birds seen yet, and finally makes the catch, exclaiming I GOT IT as the birds watch on pleasantly. The boy and his team jump for joy as the player who hit the ball frowns. The book ends with the boy, his team and a few birds sitting against a chain-link fence watching the game happily.
May 13, 2018
The line between reality and imagination is entirely too subtle. The layout/design could have been used so much more effectively.
Wiesner is one of my all-time favorite illustrators, but this one is a miss.
Wiesner is one of my all-time favorite illustrators, but this one is a miss.
May 28, 2018
Read for librarian book group
I didn't get this book. I don't understand the transition to bird. I thought the faces were weird looking, so I wasn't much of a fan of the art. This was a swing and a miss, though I do enjoy being able to use that term about a baseball book. Slight win.
I didn't get this book. I don't understand the transition to bird. I thought the faces were weird looking, so I wasn't much of a fan of the art. This was a swing and a miss, though I do enjoy being able to use that term about a baseball book. Slight win.
April 11, 2018
I hesitate to use the word "disappointed" but there it is. I LOVE his books so very much, but this one? Neh, not so with this.
June 19, 2018
Wordless. Definitely a book sports enthusiasts will understand, others though, not so sure.
June 6, 2018
I'll admit the first time I read this I was reading it to a class of first graders. I didn't have time to read and ponder it the way I should a Wiesner book. So when a tree root and then a tree popped up in the baseball field, I wasn't quite prepared. And then an enormous baseball appeared, and then the boy playing ball was tiny and his teammates were huge. I had to ad lib to explain to the students why these strange things were appearing in what at first seemed to be a straightforward story of a boy playing in a pickup baseball game. Afterward, as I thought about it though I wasn't too surprised. This is a David Wiesner book after all. And Wiesner is known for creating books that look at the world in a different, even fantastical way. At first I was thinking the book was all about symbolism. The symbolism revolving around excuses for clumsiness (the tree), the size a ball seems when it's coming straight at you (huge), and how it feels to mess up and have your teammates rush in to cover for you (you feel very small). And while I still see that symbolism in the book, I now see that the book is about a young boy who is afraid of messing up and starts to imagine all the different (sometimes funny) ways that he could mess up catching the ball. Luckily, by the time he finally gets the chance to catch the ball, he pulls himself together. Once again, Wiesner has created an unusual, imaginative tale with gorgeous illustrations. I enjoy using his books because there are many different ways to interpret them. And this book is no different. Next time I use the book, I'll be better prepared to ask students about how they interpret Wiesner's unusual additions.
May 27, 2018
Weisner, the King of Wordless books, gives us a new nearly wordless book. Only twice in the book does the reader see the words "I got it!".
When the boy is given a chance to play baseball out in right field, the ball comes his way. He reaches out to catch it, saying "I got it!". Then the story takes a turn to visual fantasy -- first he trips over some roots that have magically appeared and lands on his face...just short of the ball. Then the reader sees a "redo" ending: the roots are now giant-sized and trip him up so he crashes into a dead tree...just short of the ball. A third ending shows him trying to catch a super giant baseball...only to have all of his teammates overtake him in trying to catch the ball, as they grow into giant-sized forms, so that the miniature boy jumps over them in order to catch the ball.
Although the artwork is exquisite, this one just misses the mark for this reader. I'm still trying to figure out if this was a fantasy ala The Twilight Zone (where an event replays over and over, with disastrous results each try, until final success) or if it was merely the boy's imagination playing hypothetical tricks on him.
The artwork is exquisite. I am sure that sports fans will love this wordless wonder.
When the boy is given a chance to play baseball out in right field, the ball comes his way. He reaches out to catch it, saying "I got it!". Then the story takes a turn to visual fantasy -- first he trips over some roots that have magically appeared and lands on his face...just short of the ball. Then the reader sees a "redo" ending: the roots are now giant-sized and trip him up so he crashes into a dead tree...just short of the ball. A third ending shows him trying to catch a super giant baseball...only to have all of his teammates overtake him in trying to catch the ball, as they grow into giant-sized forms, so that the miniature boy jumps over them in order to catch the ball.
Although the artwork is exquisite, this one just misses the mark for this reader. I'm still trying to figure out if this was a fantasy ala The Twilight Zone (where an event replays over and over, with disastrous results each try, until final success) or if it was merely the boy's imagination playing hypothetical tricks on him.
The artwork is exquisite. I am sure that sports fans will love this wordless wonder.
July 12, 2018
My standards for Wiesner are probably too lofty. This book failed to transport me to an alternative place. Several pages were artfully crafted. The page where the ball was humongous and the series where the boy feels tiny were a nice way of illustrating an internal state. We have all failed repeatedly and felt small because of it.
June 6, 2018
David Wiesner’s new mostly-wordless picture book takes place in the moments between when a baseball is hit and when it is caught (or not). Wiesner’s realistic paintings of diverse children playing baseball contain appealing, fantastical elements. As time slows down with the ball’s descent, the kid everyone expects to botch the catch begins to converge with the baseball, and readers experience the boy’s vivid imaginings. This waiting is a metaphor for how we catastrophize all the bad things that could happen and fantasize about what we hope will occur. I Got It! will delight young baseball players and fans, and reward those who enjoy pictures that push the boundaries of realism.
May 3, 2018
David Wiesner won the Caldecott three times because he is an exceptional illustrator with avant-guard plot ideas which lead readers through his almost wordless books! This new book is no exception because it is about a creative baseball game where the excitement is about who will catch the ball. Visually, the reader is close to the action and then suddenly is far away from the game. Yet the story is not only about a typical game, it is also about a boy trying to belong to a group which is a universal need for all young people! This book is appropriate for ages 4 to adulthood!
April 19, 2018
Does time somehow stop at critical moments? Can a hit baseball be the size of the sun one moment and a pea the next? Do the wishes of teammates give a play the ability to fly? Perhaps the answer to all those questions is yes. Wiesner's wordless picture book gives flight to those breathless moments before a catch.
Like all his books, this one demands and rewards reading and re-reading.
Like all his books, this one demands and rewards reading and re-reading.
April 26, 2018
As always Wiesner's illustrations are stunning, but I'm not quite sure I get the point, some time seems to be missing and it's up to the reader to add that back in, which makes some pictures confusing, nearly wordless.
April 7, 2019
This is a 3.5 for me, and while I might not be as wowed by this offering by David Wiesner as some of his earlier books, I still enjoyed it. With an almost wordless text save for the title phrase and illustrations, created with acrylics, gouache, and watercolor, Wiesner has depicted an experience that will be familiar to anyone who has ever played or followed baseball--that moment when a batter has hit the ball and the outfielder is sure he/she is sure to catch it. From the moment the young boy in question is seen standing outside the fence, wistfully longing to join the game to his eventual acceptance by his teammates once he catches the ball, readers will be rooting for him. But before that happens, he's sent out into the field by an older boy. The subsequent pages show him reaching for the ball and all the mishaps that might prevent him from catching, all fears that run through his head as various birds watch and then seem to try to help. He might trip over a root, smash into a tree, compete with another fielder or a whole field of fielders, be outrun by his teammates--or maybe, just maybe their support will lift him up so that he can reach that ball that seems just out of reach. Fans of the earlier works of this master of picture book art may not be particularly impressed with this one, but there will be others who are new to his work who will find this one much more accessible, if not as imaginative.
October 31, 2024
Have you ever wanted to read a book with your child but let them make up the story as they go? Then this book is perfect for you! The plot of this book is whatever your child comes up, the perfect book to keep your child entertained. The style of this book fully lets your child use their imaginations to come up with stories that are unique to them. By being informed about these new wordless books you can give your child the ability to tell their own stories to you everyday!
August 23, 2018
An almost wordless book about a boy wanting to join a baseball team and struggling to keep up with the game.
While the art is excellent, this story lacks the "magic" of David Wiesner's other stories.
While the art is excellent, this story lacks the "magic" of David Wiesner's other stories.
August 19, 2018
As with all Wiesner titles, this one will require numerous readings with a child audience to fully appreciate. K-2 teachers, parents, and children's librarians should choose this one for a discussion about perseverance and/or during the World Series.
October 18, 2018
I love to promote wordless picture books because they invite deep thinking, inferencing and discussion. I have teachers who use doc cameras to share picture books. Years ago I attended a conference where Michael Dahl shared images with the room and invited small group discussions and sharing from the pictures. The storylines are so vast and different! This book would be wonderful to share and discuss attempting a new skill, working with others, how does the story end? This book is rich with ideas for sharing with others, and THAT is the beauty of stories... they are meant to be shared. I'm so glad I have this book in my school library collection!
August 6, 2018
These illustrations are fascinating and perhaps if I were an art teacher, I would give it more stars. Perhaps I missed something. For baseball lovers who will understand the hope, the anguish, the magic, and the victory in that perfect caught ball, I am sure this book will be loved.
March 28, 2018
It's a hot, dusty summer evening. Parents, siblings and friends linger, lounge and watch from the sidelines. Your knees are bent and your feet are poised for action. Your eyes move from the pitcher to the plate and then to a runner at second base. Your left hand rests easily near your left knee before you bring it up to your right hand wearing the mitt. The pitcher winds up and releases the ball. It flies toward home plate in perfection. The batter taunt with anticipation swings and drives the ball just inside the line toward you. Heart pounding, breath quickening and legs and feet moving, you reach for it!
Those moments after a pitch, a swing and a hit are nearly frozen for an immeasurable amount of time before the entire ball diamond bursts into action. If that ball comes toward you, no matter your position, there is only one thought on your mind. You have to snag that ball as if it's metal and your mitt is a magnet. I Got It! (Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 3, 2018) conceived and illustrated by David Wiesner cleverly captures, without benefit of more than three words, the thoughts of one ball player intent on making a catch.
My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
Those moments after a pitch, a swing and a hit are nearly frozen for an immeasurable amount of time before the entire ball diamond bursts into action. If that ball comes toward you, no matter your position, there is only one thought on your mind. You have to snag that ball as if it's metal and your mitt is a magnet. I Got It! (Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 3, 2018) conceived and illustrated by David Wiesner cleverly captures, without benefit of more than three words, the thoughts of one ball player intent on making a catch.
My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
April 4, 2018
@kidlitexchange #partner – all opinions are my own.
This wordless picture book is perfect for the spring with baseball season starting up. In this story we follow a boy who is watching a ball game and asks to join in. But when he calls “I got it!” and goes after a fly ball, he misses not once, but twice! Finally he soars with the birds in that unique “Wiesner-esque” sequence on his way to catch the final fly ball and deny the home run from the opposing team.
Lots of kids will connect with this book – from casual players who enjoy an occasional pick-up game to serious baseball and softball players – we’ve all missed our share of fly balls! And we can imagine that amazing feeling of saving the game with the perfect catch, whether or not we’ve experienced it. We can be inspired to keep trying, dig deep, and succeed! The illustrations are vivid, the book jacket and case cover drew me in, and the details had me examining players, scenery, facial expressions. I found myself wanting to go back to previous pages to inspect the illustrations even more as I put together the events in my mind.
A superb wordless picture book that you should add to your elementary library collection and gift to a ball-playing child in your life!
This wordless picture book is perfect for the spring with baseball season starting up. In this story we follow a boy who is watching a ball game and asks to join in. But when he calls “I got it!” and goes after a fly ball, he misses not once, but twice! Finally he soars with the birds in that unique “Wiesner-esque” sequence on his way to catch the final fly ball and deny the home run from the opposing team.
Lots of kids will connect with this book – from casual players who enjoy an occasional pick-up game to serious baseball and softball players – we’ve all missed our share of fly balls! And we can imagine that amazing feeling of saving the game with the perfect catch, whether or not we’ve experienced it. We can be inspired to keep trying, dig deep, and succeed! The illustrations are vivid, the book jacket and case cover drew me in, and the details had me examining players, scenery, facial expressions. I found myself wanting to go back to previous pages to inspect the illustrations even more as I put together the events in my mind.
A superb wordless picture book that you should add to your elementary library collection and gift to a ball-playing child in your life!
May 19, 2018
Award-winner Wiesner returns with another of his signature near-wordless picture books. Here the book is about baseball and what happens in the outfield. A boy in a red shirt is sent to the outfield and when a ball is hit out towards him, he calls “I got it!” But as he leans to get the ball, he trips, loses a shoe and is left face down on the ground. As he trips, readers will see roots emerge from the ground. The next time he attempts to catch the ball, the tree roots and limbs are even larger and result in a bigger crash. The third time, the ball itself becomes huge but as the boy is smaller, he determinedly goes after the ball, climbing over the other players to finally make the catch.
While the elements are playful here and rather surreal, there is a truth to the entire book that speaks to the tangle of feet, the tripping of toes, the humiliation of falling, and the resilience it takes to keep on getting up, reach for the play and finally make it. With Wiesner’s beautiful illustrations, this picture book soars like a baseball into a blue sky. Simply superb. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
While the elements are playful here and rather surreal, there is a truth to the entire book that speaks to the tangle of feet, the tripping of toes, the humiliation of falling, and the resilience it takes to keep on getting up, reach for the play and finally make it. With Wiesner’s beautiful illustrations, this picture book soars like a baseball into a blue sky. Simply superb. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
June 1, 2018
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David Wiesner is known for his beautifully illustrated books that often have little to no words at all. Some of my favorite titles are Tuesday, Flotsam, and Sector 7. I will admit I'm not a huge baseball fan but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book! My immediate thought upon glancing at the first couple pages was, The Sandlot! It starts out with a neighborhood game of baseball and the main character wants to join in and he is sent to the outfield. A ball comes his way and he yells, "I got it!" which are the only words you will see throughout the book. He ends up tripping and not catching the ball much to his teammates disappointment. Next the obstacles to catch the ball seem to get bigger and more imaginative! Will he catch the ball in the end? I'll let you find out! Another beautiful story by Wiesner about overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself!
David Wiesner is known for his beautifully illustrated books that often have little to no words at all. Some of my favorite titles are Tuesday, Flotsam, and Sector 7. I will admit I'm not a huge baseball fan but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book! My immediate thought upon glancing at the first couple pages was, The Sandlot! It starts out with a neighborhood game of baseball and the main character wants to join in and he is sent to the outfield. A ball comes his way and he yells, "I got it!" which are the only words you will see throughout the book. He ends up tripping and not catching the ball much to his teammates disappointment. Next the obstacles to catch the ball seem to get bigger and more imaginative! Will he catch the ball in the end? I'll let you find out! Another beautiful story by Wiesner about overcoming obstacles and believing in yourself!
April 29, 2018
I like the message of this wordless story -- how it feels to want to do something that feels overwhelming (in this case, a child wants to join a baseball game) but how if you persevere you can overcome obstacles that feel huge at first.
Wiesner's illustrations depict a child struggling to catch fly balls during a game. The obstacles that trip the child up, and the other players, grow larger and larger as the child struggles with insecurity. Then the child uses those things that are blocking his way to actually catapult himself into a position to catch the ball.
The first reading of this wordless book was somewhat confusing for me, so I have some concerns with the concept and illustrations resonating with younger readers. This would be a good story to share with a child so you can discuss what is happening in the illustrations and what it means.
Wiesner's illustrations depict a child struggling to catch fly balls during a game. The obstacles that trip the child up, and the other players, grow larger and larger as the child struggles with insecurity. Then the child uses those things that are blocking his way to actually catapult himself into a position to catch the ball.
The first reading of this wordless book was somewhat confusing for me, so I have some concerns with the concept and illustrations resonating with younger readers. This would be a good story to share with a child so you can discuss what is happening in the illustrations and what it means.
July 9, 2018
Another almost-wordless Wiesner book that tells the story through dramatic pictures.
When a boy misses every long ball hit at him, he strives to make the ultimate catch... with soaring images that meld into a montage of giant children being the platform from which he makes the big catch, and the support for his accomplishment at the end, this is the book to bring to the first game when the catch is missed- an encourage hope for the future!
When a boy misses every long ball hit at him, he strives to make the ultimate catch... with soaring images that meld into a montage of giant children being the platform from which he makes the big catch, and the support for his accomplishment at the end, this is the book to bring to the first game when the catch is missed- an encourage hope for the future!
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