The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story

by Joseph Bruchac, Susan L. Roth (Illustrator)

With characteristic action and wit, renowned Native American storyteller Bruchac retells the amusing and rousing folktale of an epic ball game between the Birds and the Animals, which offers the explanation as to why birds fly south every winter. Roth's brilliant collage art enhances the story. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Native American, Indigenous, Childrens, Folk Tales, Folklore

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.

As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the birds and animals start to argue about who is better - the creatures with wings, or those with teeth - the quarrel soon becomes serious enough that a war seems likely. Hoping to avert such a destructive eventuality, the leaders of the two factions, Bear and Crane, arrange for a game of stickball instead, with the losers agreeing to accept the punishment meted out by the victors. But when the birds and animals face off, Bat, who has teeth and wings, finds himself rejected by both sides. Is he too small to make a difference, in such a great game...?

The answer to that question forms the crux of this traditional tale, related to Joseph Bruchac by Muskogee elder, Louis Littlecoon Oliver. "Sometimes even the smallest ones can help," says Bear at one point, and the aid that Bat provides to the team that finally agrees to give him a chance, proves decisive. In addition to emphasizing the idea that everyone, regardless of size, has a valuable contribution to make, The Great Ball Game is a pourquoi tale, explaining the yearly migration of the birds.

Folklore enthusiasts will undoubtedly recognize this tale type, which can also be found in the Cherokee tradition, and has been retold in picture-book form, as The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals . This retelling of the Muskogee variant has a simple but engaging narrative, and although Susan L. Roth's collage illustrations didn't greatly appeal to me - artists like David Wisniewski do a much better job at this sort of thing, I think - I still recommend it to young readers, both as a fun story, and as an enlightening glimpse into the Native American tradition of using sport as an alternative to out-and-out warfare.

[Krysta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, simple story about a ball game between the birds and the animals. It can teach about acceptance as the bat is at first neither considered a bird (because he has teeth) or an animal (because he has wings), but ultimately proves his worth. I wasn't in love with the illustrations, however, which I think a little busy.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations in this porquoi tale explaining why birds fly south for the winter. Also a story showing that each of us has something to contribute.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the story itself and the meaning behind it, that birds lost a game of stickball and that’s why they fly south each year. That’s an interesting concept and a cool legend to explain it. I did not like the illustrations at all and rated 2 stars because of them. I didn’t like looking at the pictures at all and that’s a bad thing in a picture book. I don’t like the paper style art. A lot of the animals had crazy-looking teeth, jagged triangles, even animals like deer and squirrels that don’t have teeth like that.

The writing was simple; I guess there isn’t much detail for the story, but it was a very quick and simple read.

The birds and animals got into an argument about which was better, the birds saying they were because they have wings, and the animals because they have teeth. Crane and Bear had the idea to have a ball game and the first side to score a goal was the winner, and the losing side would accept the penalty from the winners.

Bat was left out because he had wings and teeth. Bear wouldn’t let him play with the animals because he had wings which wouldn’t be fair. The birds didn’t accept him because he was too small to help. Bear took pity and accepted him because sometimes even the small ones can help, but wouldn’t let him play until after the big animals.

The birds were winning because they could fly where the animals couldn’t reach them. They were about to win until it turned dusk and bat joined the game. The birds couldn’t catch him. He won the game for the animals. He decided birds have to leave the land for half of the year; that’s why they fly south each winter. Bat flies each evening to see if the animals need him to play ball. That was a really cute touch.

The beginning had explained that there were ball games of some type throughout the Americas and they were used to settle arguments instead of going to war. This story abounds from the southeast, the northeast, and the plains region.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

When reading this book, divide the students into two teams. It's interesting how quickly the students take on the competitive nature of the birds and animals in the picture book. It's a fun way to talk about the migration of animals, and little ones will then ask questions about V patterns when migrating, the seasons when they migrate, and all the birds they have seen during the migration season.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fight between the birds and the animals will be settled by a ball game. Those with teeth play for the animals, those with wings play for the birds. But the bat, who has both, doesn’t know where to play. The birds laugh at him because he is so small. So, he joins the animals. And as the day turns to night, the bat plays the key role in the animals’ win.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno. The art is creative, the themes important, the story interesting... but it wasn't enough for me, somehow. I guess I wanted either more about why the heck the argument mattered to the critters, or more about the actual how to play of the game, or something that would stick. It just seems superficial, workmanlike.

[Tony Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master storyteller, Joseph Bruchac, brings another Native American legend to life in this Muskogee story. Illustrations by Susan L. Roth are reminiscent of paper collages by illustrator, Lois Ehlert.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this book as the basis for an interactive magnet board activity. It was a hit with the kids. I like the illustrations. I do wish the additional information given had gone into more detail as to how you play the game though.

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaches good morals and fair play. Great read for all ages.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Not only is is a good story to educate kids about Georgia’s Native Peoples, but also it could lead to a lot of good discussion about belonging. The paper cut illustrations are amazing!

[Kaitlyn Kumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a great book. I liked how it expalined why birds fly south every winter. This is a great folktale and is a good book to help students undersand what a folktale is.

[Tommy Schlosser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't love the pictures but a well told story that brings one of the cycles of nature to life.

[Judy Ripke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author makes this traditional tale, explaining the migration of birds. accessible even for younger students.

[Elisabeth Ensor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read for kids to learn about Native American myths and games

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat illustration and good messages, but I wasn't wowed by the prose.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This folktale should be a classic! The Animal Vs. Bird Dynamic was interesting to a wide range of preK to 1st Grade kids! And as soon as the Bat is introduced the kids were hooked!

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the collage illustrations were great for this story.

[Kevin Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun story to eventually share with my future kiddos. Can't wait to read it in silly voices.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different kinds of ball games have been played for centuries in the Americas to end arguments instead of going to war. 
I didn't know the Creek were also called Muskogee.

I didn't like the illustrations; they looked like paper mâché. Although the black bear looked cute about to fight the crane.

The leader of the Birds was the Crane, and the leader of the Animals was the Bear. 

I saw a bat on the back cover of the book and wondered what significance they had. When the teams were formed of those with wings and those with teeth, I knew the bats were actually the only flying mammals there are, so they don't fit in either category. 

The bird has the advantage in the game because they could fly overhead with the ball where the animals couldn't reach them.

I loved that Bat had his moment, because you knew he was the only one who could fly and see well at night. That's how Bat was accepted as an Animal. I thought that was a cute way to tie in how bats are considered mammals.

His penalty to the birds was that they would fly away from that land for half a year every year. That's why birds fly south every winter. 
The ending was cute to me, how bats still come out at dusk each day to see if Animals need him to play ball. That along with the image of a grinning bat was adorable.  The ending made me bump it up half a star, but with the illustrations and simple writing, I was gonna give it a two.
2.5stars. 

[Kris Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story is written by Joseph Bruchac. The illustrator is Susan L. Roth. This folktale picturebook is intended for the primary and intermediate age groups. In addition, I would say that the nature of this book, title and cover’s first impression would draw the attention of boys mostly. There were no awards issued to the author for this picturebook.

The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story is about acceptance. The story begins with an argument between the Birds and the Animals about the physical characteristics of possessing teeth or wings and which characteristic is better. Unable to agree, the Birds and the Animals decide to settle the disagreement with a ball game. The winged animals are on one team known as the Birds and the animals with teeth are on the other team known as the Animals. However, the bat was left out since he possessed both: wings and teeth. After hearing the rude comments from the Birds, the Animals accepted the Bat on the Animal’s team, which won the final game with the help of the darkness and the bat’s ability to navigate without light.
I rated this book as a five.

The issue of acceptance is very important. In today’s world, race, religion, financial status, ethnic, culture, age, etc. plays a role in acceptance as peer pressure can be depressing to one’s self-worth. The ballgame shows children that there are non-violence ways to handle disagreements. In every game, there is always someone last picked. In this case, it was the bat. However, what they didn’t understand is that the bat possessed some very good qualities that the animals and the birds overlooked. The illustrations are completed in collage form. A variety of colors is used. The Animals and Birds are realistic in shape, but not color scheme. The pictures give the reader an illusion that elementary school children completed a cut and paste activity. The black text and pictures fit the pages appropriately. In addition to the story, Bruchac provides a page dedicated to the history of the Muskogee ball games to educate children.

This folktale picturebook could be used by an elementary school gym teacher to point out morals and good sportsmanship values.
As a multi-legend story, The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story is a valuable book for all ages. The legend of the Bat shows acceptance, which is an important lesson for children. The legend of why the Birds fly south each winter explains a punishment from the ball game. In reality, children will gain an insight that a price is paid for every wrong doing amongst another. The message didn’t relate to the ball game directly, but to the way the Birds and the Animals selected the Bat.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Cultural Folktale
Awards: none

The Great Ball Game is an old Muskogee story. These people believed that long ago the birds and animals had an argument. The birds believed that they were better because they had wings, while the animals believed they were better because they had teeth. They decided to settle their argument with a ball game. The loser would accept the penalty that the winner gave them. The birds were on one team and the animals were on the other. Then a bat flew in and wanted to play. He flew to the animal side and told them that he must be on their team because he had teeth. The bear on the team told him that it wouldn't be fair because he had wings; he must be a bird. The birds laughed and told him he was too little though. The bear finally took pity on the bat and let him join the animal team. They played until the sun sank and then no one could see, except for the bat that is. He flew across the field and threw the winning goal. After this, bat became accepted as an animal. His penalty for the birds was that they must leave the land for half of each year. That is why the bird fly south each winter and every night Bat comes out to see if the animals need him to play ball!

Activites:
1. After reading this story, students could learn more about the Muskogee culture and their other folktales.
2. Students could research other folktales from cultures across the world and share the findings with the class.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Bruchac has written a number of award-winning picture books, many of them biographies or traditional stories originating from various Native American tribes. This Muscogee (Creek) story tells of a conflict between the animals and birds. They cannot decide which group is best, so they decide to resolve the question in a traditional manner, through a sports competition. But when the sides line up to play the small bat, equipped with both wings and teeth, has to plead for the right to join either side. Bear takes pity on him and finally allows him to join the Animals. At nightfall, when the game begins to go badly for them, the Bat swoops in to snatch the ball and score a winning goal, showing that "sometimes even the small ones can help." Bat decides that the Birds' penalty for losing shall be their annual migration south, thus vacating the land for the Animals to use.

This story has much in its favor. In spare, clear text Bruchac conveys the practice of sport as a substitute for war, builds a fine drama within the context of the game, includes a little scientific observation and mixes in a little humor. Roth's torn-collage illustrations are fairly abstract, and may not appeal to all readers, but I believe she captures the right mood for this kind of mythological story. Because this kind of story is meant to be shared, it may make a better read-aloud than read-alone. It's well suited for a preschool or elementary audience.

[Tibby]

Children in the kindergarten through second grade age range love folk and fairy tales and stories that explain why something is they way it is (a type of folktale). This is one of those stories. Bruchac is clearly a masterful story teller. With fairly simple language he really captures the excitement of the ball game.

The birds and animals are fighting over who is better and they decide to have a lacrosse game to decide. When the birds and the animals divide up their teams, they use wings and teeth as criteria for determining if something is a bird or animal. However bat has both and he has to ask to join both sides. The birds don’t want him because he is so small and the animals rather grudgingly accept him. I know this is all part of the story, but this is exactly the kind of exception a child would come up with. Having it become such an integral part of the story is perfect.

I really loved the art in this one because it has the feel of something a child could recreate. It would make a great project to have kids illustrate other myths, legends or folktales using the cut/torn paper technique seen here. The birds are a little zany looking which makes them really appealing and the teeth on the animals really jump out as little white paper zigzags. The rumpled paper backgrounds are used to great effect showing the waning light of the day and how it makes things hard to see at the end of the ball game.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Picture Book - Cultural Folktale
Grades: K-3
Awards: X

The story is based on an oral version told to the author. The story begins with an argument between birds and animals over which group is superior. The birds think they are better because they have wings, and the animals think they are better because they have teeth. The leaders of the groups decide that a game is the only way to settle the disagreement. Bat does not know what side to take because he has wings and teeth. After both groups reject bat once, Bear, the leader of the animals, accepts Bat, but there are conditions. The birds almost win, but it is Bat that stops them. Bat wins the game, and is permanently accepted as an animal. Bat also got to set the penalty for the losers. The birds’ penalty was to spend half of the year away. The illustrations are collage with various papers.

Activities:
1.The book will act as a stimulus to artistic response. Students will create Collages. The students will create individual collages around the themes or characters in the book.
2.Students will Sing Me a Song. The students will write a song/ballad about the story, a character, or an event in the book.

[Jaime Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great Ball Game is a Muskogee tale that is told by Joseph Bruchac who originally heard the story from Louis Littlecoon Oliver, who is Muskogee elder. The story is about an argument that the birds and the animals had. They couldn't decide who was better; the birds because they had wings or the animals because they had teeth. The leader of the birds, the crane and the leader of the animals, the bear, met with each other and decided that in order to make a decision of who is better, they needed to play a game and the winner of that game is the better group and they get to give the other group a punishment. The bat wanted to take part in this game but since he had both teeth and wings, he didn't know what side to choose. The animals decided to allow the bat to play for them and the bat ended up winning the game for them. So the bat decided that the birds needed to leave the land for at least half a year, and that's how migration came to be. The main characters of this book is the bear, the crane and the bat. The setting is North America and the main ideas of the story is acceptance and learning about a different culture. I highly recommend this book because it has good multicultural information. Kids will love hearing a native american myth of how migration came to be.

[Sean]

Genre: Picture Book

Age Level: early

World View: Native American

Theme: conflict and heroism

Literary Elements: dialogue, capitalization, foreshadowing,

In the Classroom: The class could use this book to learn the history of sports, baseball specifically. They could invent stories involving animals, of how other sports around the world used to be, after they do some research on that sport's history.

Illustrations: the torn-paper illustrations show the action of the story well, and give each character it's own personality.

[Andrea Thomas, Greenville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this folktale about the birds and animals. I could see using it with an animal unit. The animals and birds have an argument over which group is the best. They play a ball game to settle the argument. The birds do not accept the bat on their team because he has teeth. So the animlas take him and it's the bat that makes the winning goal. As a penality for losing the birds have to leave the land for half of each year. This folktale tries to explain why birds migrate in the winter months.

[Shelby L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have noticed that in the younger elementary grades (Kindergarten through 2nd) really love fables and folktales. This book is perfect!

It tells about how a bat became known as an animal and why the birds fly away during the winter. It included a ball game for the explanation which is something that students will be familiar with so they will be able to understand.

I definitely would like to have this book in my classroom. It could be used as a read aloud for explaining what a fable or folktale is, or it could just be kept in the library for the students to read on their own time.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute story of how the birds came to fly south for the winter. I think what really makes this story strong is the medium for the illustrations. The animals have these teeth that stick out and the way the birds look, they mean business. I liked the story and things it's a very neat way to talk about birds and their habits. It's also a great way to incorporate sports, maybe this would be a good book for physical education.