The Baseball Player and the Walrus

March 1, 2015
A lonely baseball superstar finds a new friend and rethinks his priorities.He's talented, popular and very rich, but something is missing that he just can't name. On a visit to the zoo, he is fascinated by a walrus' antics. He decides to buy it, but he meets with great resistance from the worried zookeepers. He is so determined to demonstrate his ability to care for the walrus that he completely reconfigures his huge backyard with all the accouterments a walrus could possibly need. He's ecstatic when the zoo authorities finally agree to let the walrus go. He grooms the walrus, reads him stories and even plays catch. He is so happy that he quits baseball, but eventually he runs out of money and the walrus must go. Of course there's a happy ending, and the two friends are reunited. It's not really a baseball story, for the unnamed hero could just as well be a rock star or actor or business mogul. The important part is that he gives it all up for friendship and companionship. Loory builds the tale nicely with sympathetic portrayals of the hero's loneliness and the walrus' endearing traits. Young readers will find it all sweetly believable. Latimer's computer-enhanced cartoons carefully follow the text and add an extra touch to the characters' emotions. The denouement could come straight out of Field of Dreams, if that film were set in a zoo. A bit treacly but wistful and charming. (Picture book. 4-7)

December 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Is there a child who hasn't dreamed of bringing an animal home from the zoo? In this debut picture book, a sad and lonely baseball player spends a day at the zoo and decides he must buy his new walrus friend. While this picture book could steer into the murky area of animal neglect, the author and illustrator do a wonderful job of showing the realities of owning an exotic animal. For example, before the walrus comes home the baseball player builds a "special enclosure in his backyard for the walrus. It had a huge pool and plenty of places to lie out, and a retractable roof in case it got too cold or too hot. He bought lots of fish and barrels of walrus vitamins, and had fancy lights installed." Once the baseball player goes on the road with his team, he becomes sad and lonely and realizes he wants to be home with the walrus, so he quits. Of course, then the unemployed baseball player has no money for his expensive pet, so the walrus must go back to the zoo. Luckily there is a happy ending for both characters. The text and hand-drawn pencil illustrations are a perfect match in this story. While the story is complex, the author chooses his words wisely and the length is perfect for one-on-one sharing or a school age storytime.-Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015
Preschool-G After spending a wonderful day watching a walrus at the zoo, a baseball player builds a special enclosure in his backyard. He buys the walrus, brings it home, and even teaches it to play catch. They are happy together until his team hits the road. Pining for his walrus, the ballplayer quits and goes home. Eventually, he runs out of money and must return the walrus to the zoo. But when the despondent fellow goes there to say good-bye, he finds the one job opening he is uniquely qualified for: walrus caretaker. Parents may be best equipped to understand the ballplayer's angst, caught between his need to work and his yearning to stay home with his walrus. But kids will feel his pain and, no doubt, will find this picture book compelling. Enhanced with digitally added colors and textures, Latimer's expressive drawings are full of intriguing and amusing details. The deadpan humor in the illustrations works perfectly with Loory's offbeat, lovable narrative. Highly recommended for reading aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)