Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth

by Robert Burleigh and Mike Wimmer

"He always had this swing. This easy, upthrusting swing. This 'pretty' swing,... read more

"He always had this swing. This easy, upthrusting swing. This 'pretty' swing, not taught by any coach. One day the Babe just swung-- and it was there. It was his." That is an example of one of Burleigh's two narrative styles interpreting the life and times of Babe Ruth, and on most pages it's printed in a large typeface placed within a large amount of white space. The other is printed in a very small typeface within a make-believe vintage baseball card, such as #251, "Babe on the Mound," relating facts about the Babe's pitching--yes, pitching-- record between 1914 and 1933. Wimmer's illustration on the opposite side of the same page shows three early 20th century boys, all looking at the same unseen thing high and far away; one has just swung at a pitch, one is a catcher, and one is another player. Young George Herman Ruth apparently "had this swing" early on. Fourteen such double-page spreads are organized in this engaging way, making it possible to read what is almost two books in one. Children can find repeated ways to enjoy this exciting tribute to the "babe in the woods," which they'll read as the origin of the famous nickname. (Ages 7-11)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1998

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