Mama Played Baseball

Book Description

Amy's dad is away, fighting in World War II, and her mama must take a job. But it's no ordinary job--Amy's mother becomes a baseball player in the first professional women's league! Amy cheers louder than anyone at all of the home games. And while Mama's team travels, Amy works on a secret project--a surprise for her dad when he is finally back home.
With warmhearted, historically based text and lush illustrations, award-winning author David A. Adler and talented new artist Chris O'Leary bring to life the soaring spirit of the 1940s. Featured in the major motion picture A League of Their Own, the All-American Girls Professional League helped women prove that no war could stop the great game of baseball.
An author's note provides historical context for the era.

Customer Reviews:

Great baseball book for boys or girls.......2007-06-08

Another reviewer has done a terrific job encaptulating this book, so I won't go there.

But I will say, my two toddler age kids love books, especially about baseball. I've read them (and purchased) just about every children's book worth considering regarding baseball and this is in the top five.

Beautifully written and elegantly illustrated, this book tells the story from a young girls perspective about a mother that plays baseball during WWII.

It sends a number of positive messages to boys and girls alike. Pick up a copy of this book -- it's a keeper.

"Mama Played Baseball" - A Home Run Book.......2003-11-05

Through the eyes of a little girl named Amy, we can experience a little bit of life during World War II. During this time many athletic women vied for spots in the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League. When Amy's mother first tells her of her plans to get a job in the league, Amy wonders, "What kind of job is that?" Baseball is only a game she thinks. Amy's perception of her mother playing pro-baseball changes as her mother makes the team, wins games, and is popular with the fans who ask for her autograph. The reader can easily sense Amy's excitement as she watches many of her mother's games, jumping up and down when her mom scores a hit.
Through a simple plot line, award-winning author David Adler has adequately shown the events of that time. He works a little humor into the story giving the reader a laugh or two and reminding us of common life experiences. "Mama Played Baseball" has a happy ending as Amy's father returns home safely. This is illustrator Chris O'Leary's first picture-book and he has done a magnificent job bringing the story to life. His artwork depicts the 1940s and contributes immensely to the overall story. The story is suitable for children in the lower elementary grades and could also be used in social studies or to introduce sports.

The Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood (Live Girls)

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Yay for Hip Mamas!
Really helped me.....
What's the Point?
Fantastic!
It's not a parenting book

The Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood (Live Girls)
Ariel Gore
Manufacturer: Seal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1580050298

Amazon.com

In The Mother Trip, her follow-up to the cult classic, The Hip Mama Survival Guide, Ariel Gore offers the kind of down-to-earth, truthful mothering conversations that you'd expect to have with a best girlfriend. In this collection of essays--some lasting one page, some stretching to five--Gore deftly spotlights the messy corners of motherhood: sleeplessness, depression, weird pregnancy dreams, the restless hunger for creativity, and the passionate love of children. This is comforting turf, especially for mothers who have felt patronized and bored by the numerous advice-laden mothering manuals on the market. Gore mixes straight talk with dreamier musings, using sensual details and thoughtful subtext to illuminate the spirituality of motherhood. (Her essay about being 19, pregnant, and living with a transient boyfriend in Italy is a masterfully crafted gem.) A sexy, political, and highly conscious mother who refuses to diminish herself, Gore is one of the best mothering role models to show up on the written page. In the essay "Children Need Interesting Mothers," she writes,

We need time to ourselves, moments of awareness, connections, meaningful work. We need cheap art, good sex, nights at the bowling alley and days at the beach. We need good coffee, hearty meals, lush gardens and time to relax and enjoy our lives without worrying so much that we are good enough mothers or skinny enough girlfriends or wives. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can mother our children soulfully and lead lives worth living.

Amen, sister. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

In her last book, outspoken urban mom Ariel Gore offered help for real-world mothers. In The Mother Trip, she gives her inspiration, encouragement, and moral support to unconventional moms. In these essays, she bashes the stereotype of the "good mother" and encourages readers to follow their instincts and redefine motherhood in their own terms.

Customer Reviews:

Yay for Hip Mamas!.......2007-04-12

This book is awesome. Funny, smart and a really quick read.... After wading through at least 40 baby books and childrens books this one really got me. Strait talk, lots of laughs, I highly reccommend this book!

Really helped me............2006-07-21

get through that first month! lol I got it when my son was just born and I was having a serious hard time adjusting and newborns HARD HARD work. Very overwhelming. Some of the stories in here made me laugh and look at things in a different perspective, just what I needed!

What's the Point?.......2005-12-05

I am currently expecting my first child, so maybe I don't have enough first-hand knowledge to really appreciate the message here, but halfway through, I started to feel mildly irritated by this book. Three quarters of the way through, I was actively disgusted, though I can't put my finger on exactly why. I bought this book thinking that it would provide a good counter-balance to a lot of the mainstream parenting literature that wants us to believe that parenting is all joy, all the time. What I got from this is a sense of Ariel Gore's tremendous self-promotion and self-involvement, and a vague and unsettling sense of feeling like I'm doing something wrong for being in a standard-issue and happy heterosexual marriage. As we're reminded frequently, Gore was unwed and backpacking through Europe when she became pregnant. I get the impression that to her mind, we should all be so hard-pressed by circumstances, rather than, say, making an informed and well-timed decision to become parents.

There are a lot of suggestions in the book about taking time for yourself, and not ignoring your spirit and creativity. I agree with the sentiment whole-heartedly, and would have appreciated some insight into the practical implications of how we are to go about doing that. Instead, what we are presented with is a series of poorly-written and half-formed notions of "self-time," with no real insight into the actual reality of having to provide for the care and feeding of your child in your absence. She seems content to sort of noodle her way through a notion, leave off without a conclusion, and remind us how very healthy she is for being able to drop everything to pay attention to her own needs.

I'm not impressed with her or her message, and frankly, I don't understand the great groundswell of support that she appears to enjoy. While her take on motherhood is a different one from what you're most likely to find in mainstream media, that doesn't make it worthwhile by default. There is nothing helpful in this book, and there is no support to be found in a book that just sort of leaves you feeling unimaginative and boring for not having art projects to attend to or never having been on welfare. It's the mother-guilt that she so rails against, just packaged in a more deceptively colorful package.

Fantastic!.......2005-10-17

I loved this book. Ariel Gore made me feel empowered, encouraged and important. There was no "expert advice." Nobody telling me that what I am doing is too much or not enough. I felt justified and understood. As soon as I finished reading The Mother Trip, I lent it to my friend, a mother of two. I think every mother should read this book.

It's not a parenting book.......2005-04-03

If you are looking for a book to teach you about parenting, then this is not it. This book is about one womans life as a mother, and it is very enjoyable.
She made me laugh out loud in a few spots, and even though I don't agree with everything she has to say on the subject, I did think this was a very good read.

Average customer rating:

Mama and Me and the Model T
Faye Gibbons
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688152988

Book Description

Put-put-pow...rackety-put-pow! The Searcy-Long family has a brand-new motorcar. But when Mr. Long refuses to teach Mama Searcy how to drive, she grabs the wheel, starts the engineand shows that cars arent for men only.

Amazon.com

The remains of the day are softly romanticized in this gentle lullaby book about a mother and child reunion. "When Mama comes home from work, dear child, when Mama comes home tonight, she'll say, 'Let's put your blocks away--the red, the green, the white.' She'll fix herself a cup of tea, and let you have a sip. She'll mend your blue pajamas and her own pink satin slip." The real-life weekday evenings of a working mother and her child may not be as rosy and calm; in this lovely interlude there's also time for pat-a-cake, stargazing, and plenty of rocking chair cuddles. But like a simple prayer, Eileen Spinelli's rhyming verse and Mem Fox's (Time for Bed) creamy pastel illustrations praise this everlasting mother-child connection and offer hope for the peaceful nights and soothing images we long for. (Click to see a sample spread. From When Mama Comes Home Tonight, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Text ©1998 by Eileen Spinelli. Illustrations ©1998 by Jane Dyer.) (Baby to preschool) --Gail Hudson

Book Description

"When Mama comes home from work, dear child,

when Mama comes home tonight

she'll cover you with kisses,

she'll hug you sweet and tight."

As evening falls and Mama gets home from work, the special rituals that a mother and child share are gently evoked in soothing rhymes and glorious pastel paintings. For any parent who comes home at night to a waiting child, When Mama Comes Home Tonight is the perfect book to read together.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic For Working Moms.......2007-04-15

This is a must have for the libraries of children with working parents. This was a gift from my Mom, when I was pregnant with my first child. I love this book and so does he! The book is gender neutral, a big plus, and it conveys the message that Mama will be home suberbly. I started reading it to my son when he was 3 months old, he is 2 1/2 and it is one of his favorites.

Sweet--.......2006-08-20

This is a sweet book, not too relevant in some places so I change the words, but it still works.

Charming and Sentimental.......2006-02-07

As a working mom, this was a book I couldn't resist. Of course, I don't bear much of a resemblance to the mama in this story, but I think my toddlers (both boys) get the picture. The comforting notion seems to resonate with them that after a long day, mama will come home to the sweet bedtime routine.

A must-have for working moms!.......2005-12-19

This is a wonderful book that my daughter and I enjoy sharing. She calls it "The Mama Book" and I really think that it helped us both when I decided to go back to work. This book has inspired us to count the cars, wish on stars and share sips of pretend tea.

Every working mother should buy this book.......2004-07-10

This is my absolute favorite book to read to my son and daughter. Until recently I worked full time and went to school 3/4 time. During the work week I got home at 8:00 at night and had an hour to spend with my 3 and 5 year old. We would read most of the time and they asked for this book every night. My son in particular is a mommy's boy and he really missed seeing me everyday. He could relate to the special things you get to do when "mama" comes home. This book is pretty short, and simple. The illustrations are beautiful. This book also makes a great baby shower gift. I give it 5+ stars!

Engendering African Social Sciences (Codesria Book Series)

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Engendering African Social Sciences (Codesria Book Series)

Manufacturer: Codesria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 286978063X

Book Description

This was one of the most pioneering works in the field of gender and social sciences in the African context, and remains an authoritative text. It is an extensively researched and forcefully argued study offering a critique and directions for gendering the social sciences in Africa. The sixteen chapters cover methodological and epistemological questions and substantive issues in the various social science disciplines, ranging from economics, politics, and history, to sociology and anthropology. Thirteen scholars contribute, including the three distinguished women editors. The translation, which is edited from the English and newly introduced by the renowned feminist scholar Fatou Sow, is an achievement itself, an incursion into the notorious difficulties of translating what are notably Anglo-Saxon concepts of sex and gender into the French language and distinctive academic environment; of interpreting western concepts of feminism within the African environment; as well as being an opportunity to revisit what deserves to become a classic text and reach a wider audience.

What Your Mama Never Told You: True Stories About Sex and Love

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What Your Mama Never Told You: True Stories About Sex and Love

Manufacturer: Graphia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sexuality | Health, Mind & Body | Teens | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0618646361

Book Description

Like big sisters sharing secrets, these everyday young adult black women bravely open their arms and bare their souls. Their intimate and insightful memoirs about sexual coming-of-age experiences reveal that the most personal moments are often, surprisingly, the most universal. Find out what your mama never told you, and let your sisters' stories wrap you up in a big hug.

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An Adult's Review...
What a great memoir!!! You HAVE TO READ IT!!!
Mama's Girl
Forgetting the past
Mama's Girl

Mama's Girl
Veronica Chambers
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1573225991

Amazon.com

Chambers, an editor at Glamour, writes about the aftermath of the violent and explosive divorce between her Caribbean-born parents that tore her family apart. Chambers swore allegiance to her mother even though the anger her mother had accumulated from a destructive marriage and her frustration at her inability to move beyond a secretarial job was aimed mostly at Chambers. The author also suffered abuse at the hands of her father, stepfather and a stepmother. But instead of giving up, Chambers concentrated her energies on academics and making a better life for herself. Her compelling story is a testament to will, self-respect and the ability to forgive.

Customer Reviews:

An Adult's Review..........2006-01-10

An incredibly moving, REAL memoir. Veronica takes you right beside her as she grows-- through every bit of ugliness and hardship growing up in her family all the way to seeing a dream come true. I could read this again and again. I first read it in college when I was 24. Hard to put down. Very compelling and sincere-- made me want to jump in and be her friend. If you are a high school age girl, I suspect you will really enjoy this book.

What a great memoir!!! You HAVE TO READ IT!!!.......2004-05-25

This book was very good, it wasn't excellent but it was good.Although the beginning of the book might not get your full attention keep reading.This book talks about the trials and errors of the life of Veronica Chambers.One of the main issues of this book is domestic violence, and how she and her mother deal with it.I'm sure the title might not seen interesting but give it a chance.You will see that not everyone has a perfect life and that you can succeed in many things and accomplish many goals.

Mama's Girl.......2003-05-10

Mama's Girl was a great book. I really liked how Veronica explained everything and said everything correct. She had struggles almost everyday of her life and she overcame them almost every time.I loved that. I also like how the story was detailed; it was like you are Veronica. I learned from this book not to be selfish because it will come back. I think my friend Lee should read it because he has struggles everyday and he needs to know how to deal with them.

Forgetting the past.......2003-05-10

I liked this book because it reminds me of my mother. Whenever my mom was around 13 years-old her dad would go to clubs. This book should be read by teenagers because it has bad words and little kids should not be reading this kind of book. If I was Vickie I would put my stepmom in jail for beating me up. By reading this book I feel how she felt because of all the beating and cursing of her dad. I wouldn't like to be in her spot because I would probably run away from home. I think she shouldn't forgive her mom because her mom really didn't pay attention to her. I learned to have patience before doing something that you would regret later in life. Veronica had lots of patience because she never argued with her parents instead she kept things to herself.

Mama's Girl.......2003-05-09

I've read the book Mama's Girl and I find it interesting.I just know why they named the book "Mama's Girl", because it she never became her mother little girl. I read the different thing that young teen go through.The book shows the ups and downs of children with divorced parents.If I put myself in her positon I would have taken things differently. This book shows how hard it can be being the only parent with little money. Knowing that it is a high percentage of women getting abused help them run away from it all. I don't think that Veronica was as strong because she keeps thing to herself which lead to anger.

Average customer rating:

Go Mama!
nice book nice experience

Mama Went to Jail for the Vote
Kathleen Karr , and Bonnie Christensen
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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I Could Do That!: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote (Melanie Kroupa Books)

ASIN: 0786805935
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Book Description

'Women are in chains, daughter!' Mama exclaims. 'We are half the population of this great nation, yet haven't any say in how it's run.' Susan Elizabeth's mother is always making statements like that. Mama is a suffragist, fighting for women's right to vote. Soon Mama begins picketing the White House and really does end up in chains. Then Susan Elizabeth begins to appreciate her mother's valiant fight, and joins it-in her own small but powerful way. This is a humorous and eye-opening fictional story of the women's suffrage movement.

Customer Reviews:

Go Mama!.......2007-01-22

This page-turner will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow the story of a suffragists' daughter. One small complaint is that a suffragist is defined in the book as someone fighting for the right of women to vote, when in fact it is someone fighting for suffrage for anyone--the right to vote of any person, man or woman. Small technicality in an otherwise superb story that reminds us all of the great price our predecessors paid to earn women the right to vote. I have read this to groups of children and the ensuing discussion is always lively. This is a tale not often told and I've been pleased to share it with many enthusiastic youngsters. With Courage and Cloth makes a useful companion as it tells the non-fictionalized account of the life of Alice Paul and the work of the National Women's Party.

nice book nice experience.......2007-01-19

I was very pleased with this boook and the contrast it provides the most children's books

The Essential Hip Mama: Writing from the Cutting Edge of Parenting (Live Girls)

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Useful

The Essential Hip Mama: Writing from the Cutting Edge of Parenting (Live Girls)

Manufacturer: Seal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1580051235

Book Description

It’s been over a decade since Ariel Gore, in a caffeine-induced brainstorm, invented Hip Mama as her senior project in college. The zine that has grown up alongside Gore’s daughter, has covered subjects from weaning to home schooling with a political edge and a puckish sense of humor. The Essential Hip Mama captures the heart of a decade’s worth of earthy, honest, soulful parenting—and topics from circumcision to dating, abortion to the (mistaken) belief that “mothers don’t fart.” Gore has gathered in one volume the whispers and conversations heard in homes, on playgrounds, and in coffeehouses around the country. Reassuring and hopeful, The Essential Hip Mama is a brilliant testament that one becomes an “expert” simply through the act of mothering, echoing Gore’s own words, “Whenever I’ve needed parenting advice, I’ve put out a call for submissions.” This paperback original offers the most hilarious and heart-wrenching essays from ten years of this quintessential alternative-parenting bible.

Customer Reviews:

Useful.......2007-08-18

To start: I admit it, I bought this book in an attempt to accelerate a break-up with one of the nuttier mistresses I've had in my unfortunate life. Some nitwits just can't seem to take a hint (and I am a master hinter). In any case, Bessie (my jumbo jet of a wife) had all but videotape evidence of my latest fling (I cannot help myself) and was threatening poor Hops with "serious legal action". So...enter this helpful book by a skillful artiste with a mermaidish globalwarmingfearing name.
A simple addition of "Un" prior to Essential and a carefully scripted note: "I've had enough you fat psycho cow" seemed to do the trick. At least until the following Wednesday when I found my wife's terror cat (Al-Bobo) stewing in a vat of chicken soup outside from my front porch along with a barely legible note ("Hops: I will destroy what you hate for your love"). I'll admit, it's an approach that could work on a weaker man (or one with a less vigilant and violent baboon for a spouse). I should mention that I did peruse the book prior to scrawling those two effete letters on the cover and found it to be mostly silly and trippy nonsense that made me want to go back in time and stop my parents from "cuddling" on Grandma's back porch during the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

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Mama Fela's Girls: A Novel
Ana Baca
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0826340237

Book Description

Mama Fela, a skilled seamstress, is the aging matriarch of the Romero clan in Santa Lucía, a small town in northeastern New Mexico at the height of the Great Depression. Her six-year-old granddaughter and constant companion, Cipriana, delights in the Shirley Temple movies that occasionally come to the town's theater. Through Cipriana's eyes, we see her parents' struggles over money. Graciela, Cipriana's mother, is a teacher in a rural school system who juggles the roles of wife, mother, and breadwinner. Cita, Cipriana's aunt who is in her mid-twenties, spends her days mothering neighbors, nieces, and a nephew, while dreaming of creative pursuits in a time and place where women's roles are strictly defined and dreams are stifled. Together, these strong women cope with the challenges of poverty and prejudice, striving to pull their families through these difficult times.

"Literature at its best introduces humankind to itself. Meet Mama Fela--wife, mother, grandmother, caught in a crossfire of time and geography, a prism through which pass the many colors of Hispanic life in America. Ana Baca's compelling tale will draw you in until you, too, join the family."--Jerry Spinelli, Newbery Medal-winning author of Maniac Magee

"Delightful read. Details, from muddy roads and crank-start cars to schoolhouses heated by wood fires and cold, spider-infested outhouses, all lend historical accuracy."--Lisa Lenard-Cook, author of Dissonance and Coyote Morning

The story of Mama Fela and her family living life in northeastern New Mexico at the height of the Great Depression.

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