Pecorino Plays Ball

Alan Madison Pecorino Plays Ball; illus. by AnnaLaura Cantone. Antheneum Books for Young Readers 2006 ISBN 0-689-86522-8 $15.95 (Intermediate)

Pecorino Plays Ball by author Alan Madison and illustrator AnnaLaura Cantone is the second book in the Pecorino series. The book takes silly Pecorino through his first day of baseball, which he had never played before; in “he had never caught a baseball”. Cantone uses acrylic, pen, pencil, and collage to create very enjoyable, humorous illustrations that incorporate bold texture, unique patterns, and show vivid movement. Her perspective in size is humorous to the reader. The children in the story are very tiny, and the “grown-ups” are gigantic. When readers first meet the baseball coach his head does not even fit on the page, Madison calls him “The massive man, shaped like a bowling pin with a small head and a wide button”. Together Madison’s words and Cantone’s illustrations combine to make a humorous and fun read for the readers of Pecorino Plays Ball.

Carrie DeStazio, BGSU student