Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Gillman scores a solid hit with this spirited rendition of the familiar ballpark song in a sensational picture book that skillfully conjures up the smell of peanuts, popcorn and sweaty uniforms. Norworth's tune itself is secondary to the details included in Gillman's nostalgia-filled paintings of the 1947 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Ebbets Field. As in a wordless picture book, the illustrations tell the story right down to the final ``three strikes, you're out'' as the Dodgers lose the game. Gillman has provided readers with plenty of absorbing and ingenious details--from his baseball card self-portrait on the jacket flap to the action-filled paintings of Jackie Robinson, announcer Red Barber and the members of the ``Sym-Phony,'' a raggle-taggle band of Dodger fans who heckled umpires with their rendition of ``Three Blind Mice.'' A lively, well-researched four-page addition to the text explains both the background of the song and the characters who appear in it. An exciting view of history and an intriguing book of baseball trivia combined, this ``Ballgame'' will be met with resounding cheers. All ages. Children's BOMC selection. (Jan.)