I Got It!
by David Wiesner; illus. by the author
Primary    Clarion    32 pp.    g
4/18    978-0-544-30902-9    $17.99

A boy stands watching a group of kids milling around a baseball diamond. He approaches the group and is (wordlessly) directed to the outfield. The game begins; the first batter smacks the ball. “I got it!” Instead, the boy trips on a tree root (where’d that come from?) and falls to the ground without the ball. His teammates cover their faces in disgust. Next batter makes contact: the boy chases the ball, and slams into a tree (wait, a tree on the field?). Third time’s the charm? The ball flies through the air. Everyone’s running for it in a tangle. The boy falls behind, until with the help of some fantastical birds he makes the big catch (“I GOT IT!”). His teammates cheer and make for the sidelines; it’s their turn at bat, and we’re back down to earth. Wiesner’s latest nearly wordless picture book (Flotsam, rev. 9/06; Mr. Wuffles!, rev. 9/13) features his trademark hyperrealistic art that makes the ordinary (i.e., a flock of birds; a kid who’s only okay at baseball) extraordinary with visual narrative twists that are always unexpected, never predictable. The sky-blue and clean-white backgrounds in the acrylic, gouache, and watercolor illustrations make it easier 
to follow Wiesner’s flights of fancy.

From the March/April 2018 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.