"The Bat Boy & His Violin"
by Gavin Curtis
Recommended age: Grade 2 to Grade 5
Approximate time: 35 minutes
The story takes place in the Unites States in the year 1948. Reginald is a black boy who lives with his mother and father. He loves to play the violin and is busy practicing for his recital. His Papa is manager of the Dukes, which is the worst baseball team in the Negro National League. Papa would rather Reginald played baseball than spend so much time playing the "fiddle". Papa suggests that Reginald be the bat boy for the Dukes' next game. Reginald agrees, reluctantly, as he would rather practice his violin.
At the game, Reginald is clumsy and drops the bats. Papa gets irritated and suggests that he sit and relax on the bench: "It'll give you a chance to fiddle". Reginald begins to play a sad song by Tchaikovsky. The players are inspired and so is Papa. Soon Reginald is playing all kinds of tunes and the Dukes win the game! The Dukes are now on a winning streak. Then Papa announces that they have a game with the Monarchs, the best team in the league. If the Dukes can win this game, they will be champions.
On the day of the game, Reginald plays his violin well, but even that doesn't help and the Dukes lose to the Monarchs. Although they are sad to have lost, Papa and Reginald are happy. Papa is happy with Reginald's wonderful violin playing, which he had never really listened to before, and Reginald is happy because his Papa loves his music!
Gavin Curtis's beautifully told story of family ties and team spirit, with E. B. Lewis's lush watercolor paintings, captures a very special period in history. Published in 1998, The Bat Boy and His Violin received The Coretta Scott King Award for its role in helping promote the aims of peace, non-violent social change and brotherhood.
This story has great appeal to Words in Motion for both pedagogical and artistic reasons. The story is one that will capture the imagination of boys and girls,and it takes Words in Motion into the world of sports for the first time. Furthermore, the story lends itself to the presentation of both classical and other kinds of music.Best of all, the combination of music and sports presents exciting new challenges in terms of production and performance. Although the story is set in the United States, the themes of inclusiveness and identity are entirely relevant to modern Canadian life.