Starred Review With ineffable tenderness and absolute clarity, Testa tells a tale in blank verse about a boy named Joseph Paul after the great DiMaggio; about a grandfather, Papa-Angelo, and his garden; about the boy's three sisters; about a father in prison. In quick strokes, she sketches embarrassment over a ne'er-do-well dad, the fear and horror of World War II, and the quiet bravery of a mother and grandfather. Through it all, there is baseball on the radio. After Joe DiMaggio hits a homer in his first game back from the war, Papa-Angelo and I / both let out / a sigh of relief / so pure and loud / you would have thought / the whole world / had finally remembered / how to breathe. The last poem sees the boy standing with his grandfather before the gates of the university where he will study to become a doctor. Beautiful, simple spot images in charcoal and pastel--a pile of books, a chair, a baseball--illustrate the story. Powerfully moving as it braids together baseball, family, and the Italian American experience.

Growing up in an Italian-American family, Joseph Paul describes his love for his grandfather, his anger at his law-breaking and abusive father, and his devotion to baseball player Joe DiMaggio. Spread over a series of years, Joseph Paul's meditations and observations are related in first-person free verse. Although they form a fairly skimpy book, the poems may attract sports fans not otherwise interested in poetry.

Joseph Paul, named for the wondrous new rookie centerfielder of the 1936 New York Yankees, has big dreams and a long hard road to travel in order to achieve them. Papa-Angelo, his grandfather, teaches him baseball, honor, compassion, courage, perseverance, and so much more. His very existence is a special gift to the old man, for he gives him "dreams to go with his nightmares." His father is in jail during much of his childhood, but in spite of the shame and the broken promises, these two love him. The son of poor Italian immigrants, Joe DiMaggio is a guiding star for both of them. In 1941, when most of the world is already engulfed in war, DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak postpones for a while the dread of what is to come. "Hits were the same as hope that summer, filling our hearts in the face of the truth that the president had been wrong: there really was something to fear after all." Joseph matures during the war, watching his grandfather's sadness intensify, and accepting that his father will never become a hero. At war's end, DiMaggio returns from the army, hitting a homerun in his first game, bringing forth "a sigh of relief so pure and loud you would have thought the whole world had finally remembered how to breathe." Joseph identifies with DiMaggio and everything he stands for in reality and in his imagination. He wants to become Joe DiMaggio, but he is reminded "that someone else already is." So Joseph chooses his own path and becomes someone truly wonderful and unique. Testa tells the entire story in verse. Each poem is a perfect, gripping chapter in Joseph's story. Words are carefully selected and images are beautifully crafted. Strong emotions are evoked, but there is no sentimental manipulation. When the author states in an endnote that Joseph was her father, it serves to validate the reader's instant recognition of his humanity. A powerful, glowing, unforgettable achievement. (Poetry. 10-14)

Testa's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Some Kind of Pride) 24 brief vignettes, in verse, introduce young Joseph Paul, born in 1936. His melodic narrative tightly braids together strands integral to his life: family, baseball and the ways in which the exploding world affects him and those close to him. His maternal grandfather Papa-Angelo, who helps raise Joseph Paul while his father is serving time, gives the boy his name (after Joe DiMaggio), his passion for baseball and the handmade chair on which Joseph sits alongside the kind man, listening to broadcasts of DiMaggio's triumphs on the field. When the boy announces, "I want to be Joe DiMaggio when I grow up," wise Papa-Angelo answers, "That's wonderful... but someone else already is." Yet he hardly discourages Joseph's dreams. In the concluding image, the two stand before the gates of the university Joseph will soon enter, at the age of 16, to study medicine. Details of DiMaggio's career ("It seems like/ the perfect number, now, 56/ but at the time/ we prayed/ with all our might that/ the streak/ would go on/ forever" refers to his 56-consecutive-game hitting streak in 1941) mitigate the shadow cast by WWII and the prison sentence of Joseph's father ("Bombs fell/ on Pearl Harbor/ and my father/ was released before/ his sentence was over/ and all the/ newspapers/ showed Joe DiMaggio/ looking uncomfortable/ in a uniform/ not meant for/ playing baseball"). In an endnote, Testa reveals that her own father's life inspired Joseph's story, which explains the affection and immediacy of her words. Ages 10-14. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

Gr 4-7-Growing up in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s, Joseph Paul, an Italian boy, finds solace from a difficult life by listening to baseball games with his beloved grandfather. This powerful story, told in 24 poems, describes their relationship and their love of listening to another Italian, Joe DiMaggio, achieve success. The influence of Papa-Angelo and the ballplayer help the boy escape from the realities of having an abusive and criminal father. He learns to dream and finds that he can "soar" in his own way. The beauty and the charm of the poetry-its concise language, its flow and descriptive power-add to the intensity of the experiences described. Hunt's charcoal-and-pastel spot illustrations are scattered throughout. Some knowledge of the times and culture may enrich the reading experience, but it is not required for children to understand or appreciate this poetic narrative.-Janice C. Hayes, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.