The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story

Bibliography

Bruchac, Joseph. 1994. THE GREAT BALL GAME: A MUSKOGEE STORY. Ill. By Susan L. Roth. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803715390

Summary

When the animals and birds began to feud about who was better, the crane and bear decided to play a game of ball to determine the winner. “The first side to score a goal will win the argument, and the side that loses will have to accept the penalty given by the other side.” All of the animals divided up into two teams. One side was those who had wings and the other side was those who had teeth. Bat, who had both wings and teeth, asked both teams if he could play. The Birds laughed at Bat and told him that he was too little to help and they sent him away. Bear took pity on Bat and told him that even though he was small he could help.

The two teams began to play the game until it grew dark. Both the Birds and Animals had a hard time seeing the ball. When the Animals thought that Crane was about to reach the poles, Bat took the ball and flew to the other end scoring a goal. After that game, Bat was accepted as an Animal and told the Birds they “must leave this land for half of each year” as their penalty for losing the game.

Critical Analysis

This traditional Muskogee tale has been retold by Joseph Bruchac. In a foreword written by the author, Bruchac explains how ball games have been used to settle the score between feuds. The author shares that many versions of the ball game story have been shared. In this version, Bruchac chose to use the game of Lacrosse to play the game.

The theme of this tale shows that no matter your size, everyone can do their part. When Bat asked the Birds if he could be on their team, the birds laughed at Bat. Feeling sorry for Bat, Bear let him on the Animal’s team, but was told that he would have to let the big animals play first. In the end, it was Bat that made the goal for the Animals. As a result, Bat was considered an animal. Because the animals had won the game, Bat gave the Birds their penalty. He banished them to fly south for half of each year. This comical tale explains why a bat is considered an animal and why birds fly south for the winter.

Susan L. Roth used paper collected all over the world to create the illustrations. Roth used lots of bold colors like reds, blacks, browns, and yellows as backdrops for the paper collages. The animals and birds were comical with big teeth and rackets in their hands.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly review: “This adaptation of a popular Native American story pits Animals against Birds in a contest to settle an all-too-human question: Who's better? Here, it's the teeth versus the wings in stickball, a lacrosse-style game in which the players hold a stick in each hand. When the contestants take their sides, the anomalous Bat, who sports both teeth and wings, is rejected by both teams. Finally, Bear shows sympathy, saying, "You are not very big, but sometimes even the small ones can help." Bat is benched, however, until the Animals catch on to the Birds' obvious advantage: with ball in beak, the Birds fly high above the playing field. But as evening darkness descends, Bat flies into gear to win the game with his elusive, darting aerobatics. As the victor, Bat decrees that the Birds must leave for half the year. And, according to Muskogee legend, this resolution explains why bats are categorized as animals and why birds fly south for the winter.”

School Library Journal review: “In this traditional Muskogee story, the birds and the animals quarrel over which group is better, those with wings or those with teeth. The argument threatens to turn into all-out war, so the creatures decide to settle it by playing a ball game instead. When the game (which resembles lacrosse) starts, no one wants little, weak Bat to play on their side. But in the end it is Bat-with both teeth and wings-who wins the match for the animals. As a result the birds are banished to the south each winter. This porquoi tale is told in clean, spare sentences with the emphasis on action and character.”

Connections

Other stories written by Joseph Bruschac include:

Bruschac, Joseph. 1996. BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY: LEGENDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED PLACES. ISBN 0152000429

Bruschac, Joseph. 1994. A BOY CALLED SLOW: THE TRUE STORY OF SITTING BULL. ISBN 0399226923

Bruschac, Joseph. 2008. BUFFALO SONG. ISBN 1584302801