It's A Home Run, Charlie Brown! (Peanuts)

Rating:
Summary: Remember when Charlies Brown tried to steal home?
Review: If you know anything about Charlie Brown as a baseball player then you know that the title of this Ready-to-Read book, "It's a Home Run, Charlie Brown!" has a bit of irony in it. That is because when the cover proclaims that this book is based on the comic strips of Charles M. Schulz it is talking specifically about the ones where the score is tied 3 to 3 in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and the best hitter for the Peanuts gang up to bat. I have never figured out who that particular batter would be, but what matters is that Charlie Brown is on third base and thinking about stealing home. This would involve running really fast towards home, which would be a "home run," but not a home run. Charlie Brown is thinking that if he stole home and won the game for his team, which has never won a game before, that he would be a hero. But one of the other things we know about the wonderful world of "Peanuts" is that Charlie Brown never gets to be a hero.

It is certainly nice to see this classic "Peanuts" story dressed up for a new generation of readers. Old readers will recognize most of what is in here from various comic strips Schulz did decades ago, which will bring just as a much of a smile as you will find on the faces of youngsters reading these stories for the first time. "It's a Home Run, Charlie Brown!" is adapted by Judy Katshke with art by Nick and Peter LoBianco, who have nicely captured the classic look of the Peanuts gang in color. This is a Level 2 Ready-to-Read book, which means youngsters are learning to read independently with stories that are more-complex. Schulz's classic comic strips are ideal for such an endeavor and there are plenty of other "Peanuts" books in the series for kids to turn to next.

Rating:
Summary: Remember when Charlies Brown tried to steal home?
Review: If you know anything about Charlie Brown as a baseball player then you know that the title of this Ready-to-Read book, "It's a Home Run, Charlie Brown!" has a bit of irony in it. That is because when the cover proclaims that this book is based on the comic strips of Charles M. Schulz it is talking specifically about the ones where the score is tied 3 to 3 in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and the best hitter for the Peanuts gang up to bat. I have never figured out who that particular batter would be, but what matters is that Charlie Brown is on third base and thinking about stealing home. This would involve running really fast towards home, which would be a "home run," but not a home run. Charlie Brown is thinking that if he stole home and won the game for his team, which has never won a game before, that he would be a hero. But one of the other things we know about the wonderful world of "Peanuts" is that Charlie Brown never gets to be a hero.

It is certainly nice to see this classic "Peanuts" story dressed up for a new generation of readers. Old readers will recognize most of what is in here from various comic strips Schulz did decades ago, which will bring just as a much of a smile as you will find on the faces of youngsters reading these stories for the first time. "It's a Home Run, Charlie Brown!" is adapted by Judy Katshke with art by Nick and Peter LoBianco, who have nicely captured the classic look of the Peanuts gang in color. This is a Level 2 Ready-to-Read book, which means youngsters are learning to read independently with stories that are more-complex. Schulz's classic comic strips are ideal for such an endeavor and there are plenty of other "Peanuts" books in the series for kids to turn to next.