David Wiesner, a master of wordless storytelling has given us a beautiful story with such potential, relying on the “reader/observer” to come up with the plot. This three time Caldecott Medal winner has taken a relatable childhood experience, a boy stopping by the sandlot pickup baseball game, hoping to be included but delegated to the outfield. After the first pop up fly ball, we see him reach with delight and use the only words in the book, “I got it!” But he trips on a tree root and falls flat on his face. The illustrations and particularly the facial expressions on the other kids’ faces would be a fantastic start to a conversation on reading faces, emotions and reactions. With such an emphasis on teaching kids as early as preschool to name, discuss and recognize feelings, this book would be a wonderful prompt for a lesson on how the kids feel and why. Throughout the boys’ pursuit of the ball, he actually is pictured smaller as the ball and teammates are getting bigger. What does the trail of birds represent? I can imagine “I Got It! as a read aloud in the classroom with many creative children offering different interpretations of the illustrations. What an opportunity for a language learning lesson!
Here’a an excellent resource for Teaching Tips for educators using this book for a variety of learning lessons.
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