Baseball on Mars / Beisbol en Marte (English and Spanish Edition)

Baseball on Mars / Beisbol en Marte (English and Spanish Edition)

After "traveling to Mars" in Roberto's homemade spaceship, Roberto and his father play a game of catch. PrsS-Grade 3–A bilingual story of a Bronx-based Latino family and a father's reluctant engagement with his son's extraordinary imagination. The book realistically portrays a boy piecing together a spaceship from a wooden barrel and other household objects. Roberto's father is anything but impressed and is displeased to see his favorite chair–the one about to be commissioned for viewing the Yankees v. Red Sox game–usurped by his son for his haphazard journey. Nevertheless, with his mom's encouragement, his dad agrees to accompany the boy on his engineless trek. Through it all, readers learn how a simple game of catch between father and son can become an event of cosmic proportions. Here, it is the father who &comes of age, learning the value and enjoyment of time spent with his son. Rodriguez's color illustrations add flavor and dimension to this family's newfound love of the game and their growing appreciation of one another. A satisfying read-aloud in either English or Spanish. –Michael Shapiro, WebJunction/OCLC, Dublin, OH END 2010-2011 Tejas Star Reading List "Roberto's imaginary space trip to Mars requires the somewhat reluctantly granted use of his father's favorite chair for TV baseball viewing. When co-pilot father and son take off for worlds unknown, the wondrous experience of flying asteroids, weightlessness and a TV-less Red Planet encourages a game of catch between parent and child, bringing the reality of a loving relationship back to Earth...Reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keat's Regards to the Man in the Moon, this Spanish bilingual story is complete with a makeshift spaceship from odds and ends, an eager astronaut with a fanciful adventurous spirit and Rodriguez's deeply colored, realistic paintings that juxtapose the actual backyard play with the whimsy of a planetary voyage. The subtle message of the importance of a parent's role in a child's creative play blends seamlessly with the simpler theme of a son's love for his father in a traditionally American setting." Kirkus Reviews "Readers learn how a simple game of catch between father and son can become an event of cosmic proportions. Here, it is the father who comes of age, learning the value and enjoyment of time spent with his son." School Library Journal RAFAEL RIVERA, JR. was born and raised in the Bronx, the setting for this story. He is a New York City firefighter stationed in Spanish Harlem. He has two young daughters with whom he hopes to build rocket ships. He is a lifelong New York Yankees fan, but does not have a lucky chair to sit in. TIM HOPPEY is a New York City firefighter stationed in Spanish Harlem. He is the author of a bilingual picture book, Tito, the Firefighter / Tito, el bombero (Raven Tree Press, 2005). He lives on Long Island with his wife and three children. Used Book in Good Condition