Out of the Box
About this ebook
When you step up to the plate, and all eyes are on you ...
When the crowd is cheering for you to hit one out of the park ...
Do you have to?
Out of the Box is a groundbreaking picture book by award-winning author and baseball superfan Stacey May Fowles that encourages young readers to listen to their own instincts and give themselves a break — even as others may demand they push farther, jump higher, be stronger.
In this story a young baseball player hears, just above the roar of the lions in the crowd, a small voice that tells them something doesn’t feel quite right. Stepping out of the batter’s box to follow this whisper, they walk away from the game to discover new places, meet new friends and dream new dreams.
They may get back in the game — or they may not — but Out of the Box shows young readers of “the anxious generation” how leaving their bats behind is always an option. And that quitting, even if we’re at the top of our game, can sometimes give us the time, space and distance to figure out what it really looks like to win.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
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About the author
STACEY MAY FOWLES is an award-winning journalist and the bestselling author of five books, including Baseball Life Advice, which was selected by the Globe and Mail, The National Post and Maisonneuve as a best book of the year. Stacey’s debut picture book, The Invitation, illustrated by Marie Lafrance, received a starred review and was named a Canadian Children’s Centre Best Book. Her most recent book for adults, The Lost Season, is a memoir about how quitting can actually be a good thing. Stacey May lives in Toronto, Ontario.
BAPTISTE AMSALLEM was a child inspired to draw by Calvin and Hobbes, Uncle Scrooge and Dragon Ball. Now an author and illustrator, Baptiste’s work is known for its kinetic style, often rendered in ink and watercolor. And he still delights in drawing kids and animals with human characteristics—particularly those who are up to no good! Baptiste’s illustrations have appeared in comics, magazines, animation and over thirty children’s books. He lives with his family in Montreal, Quebec.
