Mama Played Baseball

by David A. Adler, Chris O'Leary (Illustrator)

Amy's dad is away, fighting in World War II, and her mama must take a job. But it's no ordinary job--Amy's mother becomes a baseball player in the first professional women's league! Amy cheers louder than anyone at all of the home games. And while Mama's team travels, Amy works on a secret project--a surprise for her dad when he is finally back home.
With warmhearted, historically based text and lush illustrations, award-winning author David A. Adler and talented new artist Chris O'Leary bring to life the soaring spirit of the 1940s. Featured in the major motion picture A League of Their Own , the All-American Girls Professional League helped women prove that no war could stop the great game of baseball.
An author's note provides historical context for the era.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Sports, Baseball, Childrens, World War II, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

David Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.

Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.

Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.

As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Amy's father is fighting overseas during WWII, her mother must find a job. At first, Amy is confused at her mother's intention to try out for the first professional women's baseball league since baseball is a game, not a sport. But she changes her mind when she watches how hard her mother practices and plays the game after a successful try-out. Amy also has her secrets and has a surprise for her father when he returns home from the war.

This is a great book to add to a baseball, civil rights, or sports collection since it describes ground-breaking events in easy to understand terms. I loved how Amy's mother would jump up to catch the ball rather than waiting placidly for it to come to her. She was stretching herself just as the nation would later start to stretch its definition of equity and fairness. The oil paint illustrations bring all the characters and the time period to life in a wonderful way, but I couldn't help shaking my head at the uniform the women athletes had to wear. Times surely have changed quite a lot, haven't they? Pair this one with the recently published Basketball Belles.

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the very best kind of children's book. The kind where whoever reads it learns something they did not know.

This is a particularly good book because it can be used to teach history to kids of all ages. History is not something boring and irrelevant, it is fascinating and vibrant, full of the stories of real people, their angst, their struggles, their victories. This book is full of all of those things. It's historical fiction about world war II and showed the typical habits and struggles of a family during that time whose main breadwinner was a soldier in the war. It told about a specific type of fight that the women of the period engaged in: playing baseball. It told the story of the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League, a collection of women's teams who formed to entertain the American population while the male professionals were off fighting war. I had no idea that this existed. Even though this is a children's book, I learned from it. I learned about the uniforms that they wore...they actually wore knee-length skirts that left their legs bare to play baseball! What were the designers thinking?! What if they had to slide into base? Can you imagine the scrapes that would have happened? Ouch. I learned that WWII families would welcome home their returning soldiers with signs on the inside of their house because they didn't want to hurt their neighbors who had lost someone. How thoughtful. I didn't know that.

It was a great book, if you are homeschooling or a teacher that teaches history, this is a great book to incorporate into your classroom. It's accurate history, presented at a level that is perfect for kids and that will give them a narrative to pin their understanding of the period to.

I doubt I will ever forget about the women's baseball leagues of the 1940s-50s now.

Story: Historical fiction/narratie
Art: Vintage
Price: $9.48

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Mama Played Baseball by David A. Adler and illustrated by Chris O'Leary a mother makes her daughter practice baseball with her. Then she tells her daughter she must play baseball as a job because her dad is off in World War Two. Her mother tries out and makes the team after all her hard work. The daughter is proud of her Mama and goes to every game she possibly can. By the end, they go to the train station for a special visitor because the war has ended. This book is great for girls because women are not known for playing baseball. It also shows that Mama had to work for it and had to provide for the family while dad was away. The children should be somewhat interested because of the illustrations and they get to read about baseball.

The illustrations are big and vibrant. They show almost all white people because back then places would have been desegregated. So it is accurately showing things, but not showing a lot of culture in it. This book is meant for children from Kindergarten to third grade. It has a formal style and the genres are children's, history, and adventure.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about a family during WWII who endure the hardship of a father who is sent away to war and a mother who needs to get a job to support her family. The mom earns a spot on one of the teams in the All American Girls' Professional Baseball League. The story is heartwarming and shows that women were terrific professional ballplayers. The illustrations are appropriate for the time period and have a sepia-toned tint in many of the pictures, giving them a nostalgic, old-fashioned feel.

At the end of the story, there is an author's note that offers some additional information on the women's teams. I love that the league lasted long after the war was over, too. But it is an aspect of our American history that is often overlooked. I thought it was a bit strange that when the father came home, the 'Welcome Home' sign was placed inside. After reading the author's note, I realize that it was done intentionally, out of respect for those families in the neighborhood whose loved ones were not yet home or were killed in battle. That just goes to show how deep of an impact the war had all over the United States. I know that I watched A League of Their Own several times and I will put it in our Netflix queue so that our girls can watch it, too.

Overall, I thought this was a well-written and entertaining story. We really enjoyed reading it together.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1943 the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League was formed from the wives of many of the soldiers during the second world war for the enjoyment of the people at home while Major League Baseball was put on hold. David A. Adler illustrates this event in his picture book of historical fiction.

Told from the point of view of one of a daughter of one of the female players, the plot begins with a game of catch in the front yard between a mother and a daughter. Richly illustrated and delicately portrayed, the historical fiction is deeply embedded in the story, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read for any age.

Themes: All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League, World War II, American History.

[Aolund · Rating 2 out of 5]

This initially interesting story loses steam near the end. When Amy's Mama gets a job playing for a professional women's baseball team while her dad is away fighting World War Two, Amy is excited to see her mother being so great. However, all of this admiration and empowerment is effectively washed away the moment her father returns home from the War. A book which could've gone a lot of farther in celebrating two parents' individual contributions to their family lives, but flinched a little. Only two people of color are included anywhere in this book, and then only in deep background of illustrations of crowds.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

During WWII, a girl's father is sent to fight and her mother gets an unusual job: she plays on a women's baseball team. We follow the family from practicing for the try-outs, to watching the mom in a game, to the father's homecoming. Strong graphic oil paintings underscore the mother's athleticism and inner strength to get through this hard time. Historical fiction.

[RLL220_SandraJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Summary: This book is about a little girl and her family. Her father is fighting in the war while her mother becomes a baseball player. In the book it shows what the mother had to go through while her husband wasn’t home and how hard it was for her to get the job of a baseball player. At the end of the book it ends very happy with the dad coming back home and of course the mother making the team.

While reading this book I was really bored. Nothing really popped out for me. I did like the lesson behind the book of how working hard can get you to what you want.

The illustrations had hardly any white space and no bright colors were used. All the colors that were used were really dull but the illustrations seem really realistic.

For this book I would read up to 2nd grade. For pre-K , I would make children draw what their fathers and mothers job are and share it with the class. With kindergarten, I would make them make a three sequence story of the book. For 2nd grade, I would make them watch a short film on the history of baseball or even make them play baseball.

The weakness of this book would be the illustrations because the colors being used aren’t bright enough to catch a readers attention. A strength is the lesson behind the book about working hard and how a women can play baseball too .

[Sophie McKenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mama Played Baseball is a book about when women played baseball during World War II. All of the young, healthy men were off at war fighting for their country and the women were back at home keeping the nation running. One aspect of keep the nation working was playing baseball and providing entertainment. Since there were few men around, the women played baseball and had their own league. In the book, the main character's mother is in the league and she travels all over to watch her mother play. In the end of the book, little girl's mother picks her up and tells her that she has a surprise for her. They go to the bus station and wait. All of the sudden she looks up and sees her dad, a soldier who had been fighting in the war, get off the bus and come see them. The little girl's dad was wearing his uniform and her mom was wearing her baseball uniform. It is a great symbol to show that both parents were doing their duty to fight for and keep the nation alive even though they were different. I really enjoyed reading this book and would use it in my classroom to show students that World War II was more than just fighting. People from all over did their part in making sure life went on and that things ran smoothly. I would want my students to know the story of the women that played baseball.

[Alli Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama Played Baseball was about a family who lived during World War II. Amy and her mother play catch in the yard. Her mother tells her that she needs to find a job while her father is away and that she wants to a baseball player. To Amy, this does not make sense as a job. However, her mother tries out for the team and makes it. Amy goes to every game and has a feeling of pride for her mom. The next season Amy’s mom takes her to the train station where she thinks she is going to an away game with her mom. When she gets there, she sees that her dad has come home.
This would be a good book to read with young girls in the classroom. I think this book is great for women empowerment. It shows that even though her dad went to the war, her mom got a job. Not only that but her mom got a job playing a sport that is primarily dominated by men. This would help build girls self esteem and confidence.

[Nora Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character in this book is named Amy. She tells the story from her point of view and her experience on how her family is dealing with a difficult time in their life. While her dad is at war, her mom tells Amy that she needs to find a job playing baseball. Amy practices baseball with her mom until there are try-outs for a team. The first day there are try-outs Amy's mom makes it and comes back the next day and makes the team. The team practices until there is their first game. Amy and her grandparents went to all the home games and her mother's team was very successful. Having this experience in Amy's life, it gave Amy a different way to look at life and help others succeed in her life. I thought this book was good and it gives the audience a great way to learn about how peoples lives were during the wars.

[Alliayah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mama played baseball is written by David Adler and illustrated by Chris O'leary. This story is about a girl name Amy. Her mother makes her practice baseball with her. The dad is fighting overseas during WW ll. Amy mother tried out for the first women's professional baseball league,because the war had put a hold on man league and she needed a job. Amy wasn't sure why her mother wanted to play this type of sport ,but change her mind once she saw how hard her mother practice to make the team.This book reminds me of a movie that I saw on T.V, that I can not remember the name of at this moment.

As a future teacher this would be a good book to read to your class to teach about the war. This book gives a good example of what women had to do while their spouse where gone off to war.

[Terra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mama Played Baseball by David A. Adler is a historical fiction book that takes place in the 1940s in the United States during World War II. I can tell the author did research on the time when the men were at war and women were having to enter the workforce. The author came up with a great job option that most people wouldn't think about for women back in the 1940s.

While Amy's father was overseas fighting in the war, Amy's mother knew she had to get a job in order to survive while her husband was gone. Amy and her mother practiced as much as they could so that Mama would be able to make the team. Mama made the team in the women's baseball league. At the end of the book, Amy's dad comes home from war and they all celebrate.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama Played Baseball is an extraordinary book that takes place in the 1940's when women started doing more than just house work. Amy and her mother begin playing catch in the start of this book. Amy's mother is on a professional baseball team while her father is at war for the United States. During the time period Amy's father was gone, her mother had to continuously practice baseball because that was her job. By the end of the book, Amy's father comes home and is incredibly proud of both Amy and her mother for being as brave and supportive as they were. This book was well-written and an overall beautiful story line. I would say teacher's could use this book on lessons involving baseball or even history dating back to when women had to put on a uniform and get out on the field. The illustrations were great and really made me see the authors visions. Students could see how much not only men impacted the game of baseball, but also how women did as well.
Suitable for children ages 4-7

[Katy Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a mom who is playing baseball during the Second World War while the dad is away at war. I like the book because it is historically accurate and has additional information in the back of the book. I gave the book two stars because it did not show the struggle the family would have been going thru with the dad at war and the mom stepping up to provide for the family. Also, it is hinted that the grandpa has dementia but not talked about again. I would use this book in a history lesson, but I would use it as a small part of the lesson not the focus.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tells the story of a little girl whose father is away at war. Her mother makes the decision that she needs to have a job so she tries out for the Girl's Baseball league. She makes the team, and that's what the book covers. I think the book is a bit shallow, though. It only skimmed the surface. I wish it would have gone into more depth, such as the impact the girl's league made on the nation.

[Mackenzie Duda · Rating 5 out of 5]

- World War II
- for upper elementary students
- military/military families
- mothers/ mother's role/ family structure
- baseball/ sports
- very detailed illustrations to engage reader in the time period
- All-American Girls Professional League
- the author's note provides historical context for the era

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is of a true event, a women's baseball league was formed during World War II when a many men had to go off and fight for the country. This is a story of how a young boy sees his mom preparing to try out for the women's professional league to help make ends meet for her family.

[Dew Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a big sports fan so I don’t know much about baseball. However, Through this book, I could know about a baseball, civil rights, or sports collection since it describes ground-breaking events in easy to understand terms.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for older children. Would be best to accompany a lesson on WW2 or baseball history. If age appropriate - watch movie: A League of Their Own.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book wrapped up a little bit quickly but overall it was a good story.

[Kary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be great for Women's History Month

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story told in a young girls POV while her dad is away fighting in WW2 and her mom makes it on the professional baseball team for women.

[Sofia Contreras]

When a family's patriarch is stuck at war far away, a young girl's mom must find a job to help them survive.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this needed more to the story.

[Peyton Schuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to empower women. This is also a very historically educational book during the time of WWII.

[Danielle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gender Equality, Community, Inspiration.

[Yazmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women empowerment and the turning point for women in sports during the war.

[Grace Luedecke · Rating 3 out of 5]

dads at war, mom and daughter play baseball, first women's league, lowkey boring

[Mary Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy's mother plays baseball while her father is away at war.