Who's on First? - Rilegato

..cannot stop smiling...[this] delightfully illustrated take on the classic comedy skit by Abbott and Costello is for the young . . . and young-at-heart.--Examiner.com---Who's on First? is a delightfully funny book with illustrations that bring the routine onto a new platform that even the youngest fan will understand and enjoy.--Kid Lit Reviews--Your totz will be instant fans.--Reader Totz..this book's a hit with me"--Ronna Mandel, Good Reads with Ronna--A very funny read...--Fiction State of Mind---My twelve-year-old thinks both the words and the pictures are very funny and laughed out loud reading it."--City Book Review--We] had a blast reading the book...[and] John Martzpresents delightful illustrations that just 'pop off' the page.--Hudson Valley Parent---If the antics of Abbott and Costello made generations of adults double over with laughter, imagine how much kids will love it when this tale is acted out from the point of view of a rabbit and a bear. The giggles will be nonstop! Martz gives his characters all the visual slapstick cues and verbal antics of this Abbott and Costello classic, and brings their brand of comedy to full life for a new generation. This book is a fantastic introduction to classic American humor.--Mollie Sultenfuss, Pages Books & Coffee, Newton, KS ..be prepared to turn the pages--fast. --Publishers Weekly, Feb, 2013

The book is primarily designed with children in mind, but the adults reading along with them and the adults who pick up the book for their own pleasure will get just as much enjoyment from it. The routine plays out over the course of 40 generously sized pages, giving Martz plenty of space on which to let his imagination flow. In Martz s version, the characters of the routine take the form of animals, birds and reptiles. The coach, Abbott in the original sketch, is turned into a tall brown bear, whilst the inquisitive Costello wanting to know Who s on First? becomes a white rabbit. The expressions of Abbott and Costello are priceless as both become more and more frustrated by their inability to understand each other. The one danger with a print version of the routine is that it can obscure the rhythm and flow that makes its enactment so funny. Martz deals with this expertly by building up each element of the routine to a considered crescendo, often letting each punch line (if you can quite call them that) sink in by using one whole page Abbott s first run through of his men on first, second and third is met by a brilliant full-page picture of the rabbit Costello s bemused face, whilst later on a full-page spread is left uncluttered beyond the pair screaming THIRD BASE! in unison. The fun, colourful characters and backgrounds will catch any child s eye and Martz helps the routine along by signposting every new name with a picture of every player, as if looking at you from the back of a baseball card. Abbott s reply of Why to Costello s question as to the name of the team s centre-fielder is made all the funnier by the baseball-cap-wearing crocodile appearing alongside the speech bubble. Matching the clever and hilarious script of Abbott and Costello with Martz s engaging animal characters is a winning combination, coming with the added bonus of giving a baseball-loving parent an excellent opportunity to surreptitiously introduce the sport to their young ones. What more could you want from a baseball-related illustrated book? --Baseball GB, March, 2013

Because of the bright colours and charming cartoon characters, as well as plenty of opportunity for noise, I believe this book could suit a very young child. Even an infant would likely enjoy the pictures, I think a child from about 2½ could enjoy the story. This is one picture book that is even better for older children though, I would expect children from ages 4+ to fully catch on to the humour and absolutely love this book. I can't put an upper age limit on this. I could see many adult Abbot and Costello fans or baseball fans enjoying this almost as much as the children. Because the humour in this book can appeal to such a wide age range, this might be very useful for children who are learning to read at a later age as well. Most of the words are very familiar, easy to read words and there is plenty of repetition. The speech is in speech bubbles, with plenty of contrast between text and background, and although the font size varies, it is always larger than most text. The only possible issue for struggling readers is the fact that some words are printed in white, and some in all capitals for emphasis. This is, without a doubt the type of book that children will listen to over and over, until the text becomes memorised. I believe that familiar stories which a child can recite from memory, that have clear easy to read text are crucial to emerging literacy. I would very highly recommend this book for developing readers of any age, but the main reason to buy this book is not educational. This book is simply so much fun, and such a joy to read, I honestly think every child (and quite a few adults) should have a copy. --The Bookbag, April, 2013

WILLIAM “BUD” ABBOTT and LOU COSTELLO are among the most famous duos in entertainment history. Together they starred in 36 films and made countless appearances on television and radio. In 1956, they were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. In 1999, Time magazine named “Who’s on First?” the best comedy sketch of the 20th century.
 
JOHN MARTZ is a cartoonist and illustrator who lives in Toronto with his wife and dog. John loves cartoons, comics, and comedy and grew up watching Abbott and Costello movies. He listened to “Who’s on First?” so many times as a kid that he had it memorized.