Jack at Bat

A Jack Book #3

by Mac Barnett

New from New York Times bestselling and award-winning creators Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli, the second book in a funny early reader series about a mischievous monkey, a cranky old lady, and a loveable dog.

A new early reader series by award-winning and bestselling creators, Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli.

Hi, Jack! Jack lives with his friends. He's a good guy, but he can also be bad.

In this book:
There is a big game.
The score is tied up.
Jack gets his big chance.
DO NOT MESS THIS UP, JACK!

A perfect read-aloud with snappy, rhythmic text, this series is destined to delight fans of Elephant and Piggie.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Sports, Childrens, Baseball, Fiction, Animals

1 pages, Audio CD

First published February 4, 2020

About the author

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.

Reviews

[Jody Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a bunch of these Jack books so I'm going to put the same review for all of them because the ideas are basically the same. The only thing that I'll change is the star rating (rounded up because Goodreads doesn't offer a half star rating)

Jack Blasts Off! - 3.5/5
Too Many Jacks - 4.5/5
Jack at Bat - 4/5
Jack Goes West - 4/5
Jack at the Zoo - 4.5/5

I love the artwork, the simple sentence structure, and the characters. I like that Jack is unapologetically kind of a jerk, but you love him anyway. He's just doing his own thing, which is refreshing when it comes to a children's book series. Not everyone is happy and perfect all the time, even though most, I feel, do have good intentions. Like Jack. He may make messes, he may snack too much, he may be lazy, but you can still see him being a good person in his own way. I like the series, and will look for more. Good contrast to the many Elephant and Piggie books that are incredibly popular in my library.

[Amy Oberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Positives: A refreshing remake of the standard "easy reader;" use of humor; bold illustrations; bonus "how-to-draw" pages at the end

Drawbacks: The main character's behavior is, at times, more than simply mischievous, and the consequences aren't necessarily indicative of what would happen in real life.

Verdict: This series might reach the reluctant reader (perhaps a bit older) who is motivated by seeing a character who finds himself in tough spots (but still manages to get out of them). I could see myself sharing it one-on-one with a student/patron, but not necessarily as a featured read-aloud for a larger group.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on IG by Greg Pizzoli 4/13/20 & by Mac Barnett 4/22/20

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

After having Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli read the first book Jack books to me at National Book Festival, I went on Edelweiss and saw that the third one was available to read. Yay!

I did not like this one quite as much as a the first two, perhaps it was because the snarky author/illustrator pair were not reading it to me. I did like that Jack wasn't quite so 'bad' in this one. I loved how the baseball references were explained in case a young reader didn't understand them. I think this one will still be a hit (pun intended)!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new book tells the story of Jack as a bat boy for the Lady Town Ladies in their game vs the Big City Brats. But with the game on the line… The Ladies might need a bit of help. Will Jack be able to save them?

Quotes from my 6 year old: “He can’t do that!” “BAHAHAHAHAHA!” “I want to go to another baseball game with you now, Daddy!”

If you have a kid under 7, you have to check out these books. A cheeky troublemaker whose action usually has unintended consequences… Find fun and laughs in Jack At Bat!

For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/12/15/ja...

For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack is the Bat Boy for the Lady Town Ladies baseball team. The Ladies are up against the Big City Brats in a big game. Through all the innings, Jack is eager to be able to get in the game and swing the bat. But Jack is pretty mischievous and it's doubtful he can contribute much when he's more interested in snacks and naps. But the score is really close, and the Ladies need a miracle to win the game. Young sports fans will have fun reading to see if Jack will get his chance to save the game. This might be fun to have in a collection of sports books, especially in the spring when baseball starts up.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and Dad borrowed this book from the library because he loves books with his name in them and is at the point where he can read some of the words! He loved it so much that they have been borrowing out all the books. Jack Rabbit was surprisingly well behaved by his standards in this book. I was proud to see him succeed at something...almost. I love the irreverent breaking of the fourth wall that the author does too. It's a funny tone that works well. Anyway, my Jack loved Jack Rabbit, as usual, the baseball game, announcing the chapter titles, etc.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s the Lady Town Ladies vs the Big City Brats in an epic baseball game. Jack is the bat boy, but he doesn’t seem to understand what that means. Which might be a good thing as the game progresses. The left fielder takes the ball and runs away with it ... that scores four runs for the Brats ... or does it? Can they score of the home plate is missing?

Chaos is the order of the day in this funny beginning chapter book.

[Kelly]

Not really a beginning reader, more of a middling one. There are a lot of words that you can't sound out easily, like "ladies," "root," "beat," "loaded," etc. It's kind of misleading because the cover is very easy words - Jack at Bat. Lots of short a sounds. It would be better if this book had more of those. This is why it's so hard to write an engaging early reader!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack (a rabbit) is supposed to be the bat boy, but he dreams of swinging the bat. He finally gets his chance and the opportunity to be a hero. Will he succeed?
This book aimed at beginning readers may appeal to sports minded children. The text is at an appropriate level for mid-year 1st graders to 2nd grade.
One of the teams in the story is unfortunately named the Big City Brats.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of all the Jack books so far. It has a lot of information about baseball in it, so you can teach your kids about the sport while reading as well. There is even a reference to Babe Ruth you could talk about.

The book also reminded me of an updated Dick, Jane, Spot book from my childhood.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended for beginning readers to practice reading aloud to caregiver.
Art reminds me of books I read in the 70s.
A general purchase for libraries in need of more Easy Reader/Step 1-2 books.
Adults will dislike the team name "Brats". Kids will smirk.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son is a huge fan of Jack while I grow less impressed with more books that we read.
Jack is needed to take a turn at bat to the Ladies can win the game, but he messes it up when he spies some snacks.
But because my son is likes them enough to read them on his own, I guess that's something.

[Taryn Genger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was fairly simple, but cute for younger aged students. There are a lot of rhyming words and sentences that help students get repetition with a collection of easy words. I liked the book overall but it wasn't very memorable.

[Katy Bosch · Rating 4 out of 5]

These have been a fun series for my son! Jack at Bat was probably his favorite - high interest in baseball (and sneaky Jack). He worked hard on reading these and really enjoyed them! They are funny! He was super proud to read this book especially - all 80 pages!

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of this series that is definitely written for children, not adult readers because kids are going to get a real kick out of this naughty monkey!

[S.C. Yung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack is incorrigible as ever.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun early reader series.

[Yapha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun for beginning readers, as long as you don't mind that the opposing team is called the Brats.

Copy provided by publisher

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really like the Jack series. But this one wasn't as bad as the others.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The baseball game between the Ladies and the Brats comes down to Jack.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack's lady's baseball team competes against the Brats baseball team.
Adventures on every page as Jack almost wins the game.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

These Jack easy readers are usually pretty funny but this one was a complete did, which is sad cuz I love Mac Barnett

Also, why is Jack a monkey on the cover image for this book? He's a rabbit

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

We LOVE all the Jack books we have read. This was a great addition to our collection. My reluctant reader always picks a Jack book to read and I love seeing his confidence soar as he reads it.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book for an early reader.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

For: readers looking for a action-packed book.

Possible red flags: cheating and not minding authority figures.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Book - Short sentences, longer plot.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack wasn't as much of an asshole in this one, but he was still kind of a brat. At least the Ladies didn't lose.

[Madelyn Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun and silly and had a mix of emotions and lessons learned. It was a pretty good book but I would not recommend it personally.

[Marianne Blackstone Tabner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cute book by Mac Barnett! Great chapter book for an emerging reader.