Batter Up Wombat

Lester, Helen. Batter Up Wombat. Illus. Lynn Munsinger. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

Their baseball team's name was a misnomer. The Champs weren't champions. They became more hopeful when the new kid from Australia joins their team. The Champs misunderstand his name. He's a wombat, but they hear Whambat. They explain baseball to him, but Wombat doesn't understand their American expressions and slang. He may be big and strong, but Wombat is a horrible baseball player. Wombat saves the day when a tornado comes to town. Using his digging skills, he digs a tunnel to keep all the players safe.

What I Thought: What a fun book about America's favorite pastime. I love wombat's character. His misunderstanding of American slang and his own Australian expressions give children exposure to another culture in a fun way. A great read for the summer!