The Curse Ends
The Story of the 2016 Chicago Cubs
- 2017 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Juvenile Nonfiction (Children's)
This will no doubt appeal to Cubs fans who want to share a wonderful memory with their young children.
The legendary curse on the Chicago Cubs finally broke in 2016 with an amazing season that ended with a World Series championship. The events leading up to that glorious victory are enthusiastically retold for the youngest Cubs fans in Jeff Attinella’s The Curse Ends.
The book tells the story of the Cubs’ 2016 season. Starting with an explanation of how the Cubs were cursed in 1945 when a man who wished to watch the game with his goat was kicked out of Wrigley Field, the story moves through time and into the winning season. The book describes the team and some of the key moments in the season, such as the rain delay and extra innings of the seventh and final game of the series.
The book is written in rhyming couplets. Some of the rhymes are simple and functional; others, such as “hope” and “coach,” feel forced. At times, the emphasis on rhyming detracts from the story, limiting the details that can be shared about the team and the games.
The text effectively explains the origins of the curse mythology. It also captures the zeal and joy of loyal Cubs fans watching their team win. The excitement of important victories and fear as the team lost three of the first four games of the series are memorable moments in the season that Cubs fans will enjoy remembering as they read this book.
Illustrations by Mike Pascale are engaging and well done, capturing the heart of Cubs fandom. They are lively and full of color and excitement. Illustrations of other teams struggling with defeat, including a sobbing St. Louis Cardinals team, are particularly entertaining, as is one illustration showing some of the famous faces that were spotted in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs’ 2016 World Series win was a thrilling moment in the history of baseball. It truly is a story that needed to be told. Though this book offers limited detail on the events of the win, it will no doubt appeal to fans who want to share a wonderful memory with their young children.
Reviewed by
Catherine Thureson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
