Eight Animals Play Ball

Publishers Weekly

Laced with Spanish words, the series begun with Eight Animals on the Town continues with Eight Animals Play Ball by Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by Lee Chapman. Here, the ocho amigos team up for a game of beisbol. Tempers flare as the game heats up, but a sudden rain shower puts things in perspective. Chapman's festive palette brightens the baseball diamond, and he frames each illustration with a decorative border. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Spanish terms are blended nicely into the English text in this story about eight animals going to the park to play. Each animal is different and each one wants to play a different game. Cat (Gato) brings her new bat (bate) so they agree to play baseball but they continue to argue even as they play. Their arguments are minor and, after rain begins to fall, all the animal run for cover together and they are once again eight friends (ocho amigos). If youngsters are unfamiliar with the two earlier books about the eight animals, the number of creatures and their names in English and Spanish might lead to a bit of confusion upon first reading, but the story moves along crisply and the illustrations will appeal to young readers. They will find helpful the opening two-page spread with a glossary, pronunciation guide, and pictures of trading cards of the animals that include their positions in the baseball game and their Spanish names. 2003, G. P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Putnam,
— Carolyn Mott Ford

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Eight amigos return for their third book together. Each creature heads to the park, bringing along a different item-roller skates, a soccer ball, a kite, a football, and a baseball bat. Deciding that they want to play something together, the animals start a baseball game with Cat's bat. Trouble quickly ensues when Horse, Cat, and Pig become competitive and ruin the fun. A rainstorm forces the animals to quit their game, but it also provides the necessary distraction to end their bickering. This rhyming picture book blends English and Spanish text, making it a wonderful choice for bilingual storytimes, English speakers learning Spanish, or Spanish speakers learning English. The vibrant artwork, rendered in oil pastels, depicts the eight animales and their surroundings in a cartoon style. Colorful borders and vivid background colors frame each page. A glossary and pronunciation guide appear right up front to assist readers with unfamiliar words. A winner for collections needing Spanish-language materials, or materials for ESOL students.-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

¡Mira! Having gone On the Town (2000) and tried to Bake a Cake (2002) together, eight contentious friends rumble out to the parque to play. But what? Each has brought different equipment. Deftly folding Spanish words-translated in an opening glossary, in the rainbow borders around the glowing, smile-laden, folk-art-flavored paintings, and in context too-into her infectious rhyme, Elya takes her menagerie from quarrel to consensus, then through a spirited game of béisbol abruptly terminated by new squabbles and rain. But all differences are forgotten by the end, as "Caballo shares coats with both Perro and Gato / And Cerdo trades his coat for Vaca's silbato," so that "cozy and dry under wings and abrigos / they're eight drip-dry friends, / That's ocho amigos." With a formula that shows no signs of wearing thin, this third episode again provides both a bridge between languages, and a lively take on conflict resolution. ¡Bueno! (Picture book. 6-8)