Get a Hit, Mo!

by David A. Adler, Sam Ricks (Illustrator)

Overview

Mo may not be the biggest, the strongest, or the fastest baseball player, but he won't let that stop him from playing! This Step 2 reader from Geisel Award winner David Adler is now in Step into Reading!

Baseball season has arrived and Mo is all set to play with his team, the Lions. But Mo always bats last, and he always plays right field—and no balls ever come to right field. Will Mo ever get his chance to help the Lions win?

Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories, for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593432372
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Series:	Step into Reading Book Series: A Step 2 Book
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,115,640
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.31(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	350L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

David A. Adler is the author of more than two hundred children's books, including two Level 3 easy-to-read series, Young Cam Jansen and Bones. Visit David at davidaadler.com.

Sam Ricks is a children's books illustrator and lead graphic design faculty at The Art Institute of Salt Lake City. Visit him at samricks.com.

Editorial Reviews

Reviews for Get a Hit, Mo!:

"The text is appropriately simple, yet Adler cunningly coaxes emerging readers to use their understanding of narrative conventions and their prediction skills to make savvy inferences. African-American Mo and his multiethnic, mixed-gender, woman-coached team make for a nicely inclusive read." – Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

12/01/2015
Gr 1–3—Mo Jackson is a little kid with a big love for baseball. Unfortunately, he is smaller and younger than the rest of the players on his team, the Lions. When Coach Marie assigns the batting order, Mo bats last (usually the spot for the weakest hitter). When she assigns field positions, Mo gets right field (few balls ever go to right field). As the opposing team scores two runs, Mo worries that he will not get a hit. A brown-skinned boy with curly locks that peek out from under his helmet, Mo strikes out his first two times at bat. In the ninth inning with two outs, people are cheering and Coach Marie is shouting. When he turns to hear what she is saying, Mo accidentally hits the ball. The ball then rolls past the pitcher and keeps on rolling, bringing in Mo and the two other players who are on base. In an ending that is neither original nor a surprise, Mo's home run wins the game; even the youngest baseball-playing reader is going to wonder how a slight tap of the bat propelled the ball to roll far enough to bring in three runs. The illustrations are fun with good use of color and perspective, and they depict a multicultural lineup. VERDICT An additional purchase for beginning reader collections.—Jennifer Steib Simmons, Anderson County Library, SC

School Library Journal

2015-11-17
In this tale of overcoming odds, Mo Jackson, the youngest, smallest player on his Little League team, is excited about helping the Lions to a win. Will he be the hero? Or will he strike out? "One more strike and the game is over. People are standing. People are cheering." Adler zeroes in on that crucial last-inning, last-out opportunity to bring the runners home, overcome the deficit on the scoreboard, and become the most unlikely team hero. The odds are predictably insurmountable. The team places him in right field because "no balls ever come to right field." Offensively, Mo has already struck out twice before in the same game. Coach Marie stands across from Mo at the plate, shouting something readers never find out but can only imagine to be "Swing!" Mo turns to hear her better, and the bat turns too. Crack! Such a fortuitous accident leaves everyone confused, including Mo—there's nothing to do but run! His teammates on base break for home and tap the plate just in the nick of time. The text is appropriately simple, yet Adler cunningly coaxes emerging readers to use their understanding of narrative conventions and their prediction skills to make savvy inferences. African-American Mo and his multiethnic, mixed-gender, woman-coached team make for a nicely inclusive read. This second in the Mo Jackson series is a home run for the home team of early readers. (Early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews