The Babe & I ANNOTATION
While helping his family make ends meet during the Depression by selling newspapers, a boy meets Babe Ruth.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
It's 1932 and hard times are everywhere. But life isn't all bad. America still loves baseball, and Babe Ruth is the star of the game. And two boys are about to discover that with some creativity, hard work, and a little help from the Babe himself, they can do their part to help out their own team!
FROM THE CRITICS
Horn Book Magazine
The team that brought us Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (rev. 7/97) has homered again with this upbeat yet touching story set in 1932 during the Depression. The locale is the Bronx, where the more affluent buy tickets to see the great Babe Ruth perform his magic in Yankee Stadium, but where others, unemployed, sell apples on the sidewalk. The story begins when the young narrator, believing that his father is one of the lucky ones with a job, is disappointed to receive a dime, not the hoped-for bicycle, for his birthday. Later that day, he discovers the truth-that his father is one of the unemployed apple sellers, but ashamed to inform his family. With the help of his friend Jacob, the boy becomes a "newsie" to supplement the family income. He, too, tries to keep his occupation a secret, but when it is revealed, father and son develop a bond of understanding. Meanwhile, tutored by Jacob, the boy becomes proficient at selling papers, selecting the right headlines to entice customers. At Yankee Stadium, the appropriate focus is always the latest news about Babe Ruth-and one day, the Babe himself buys a paper with a five-dollar bill, enabling the two boys to see a real Yankee game. Terry Widener's illustrations are reminiscent of the regional murals of Thomas Hart yet are definitely his own, evoking the ambiance of the period without attempting a slavish imitation. Carefully paced, remarkable for its unified focus, this is the kind of book that makes you want to buy season tickets.
Publishers Weekly
In the Bronx in 1932, a boy goes to work and ends up learning a great strategy for selling papers. "Adler and Widener score big-their book reads like a labor of love," wrote PW. Ages 6-9. (Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
In the Bronx in 1932, a boy out walking with his friend discovers that his ostensibly employed father is actually selling apples on the street. Shocked, the boy numbly follows the friend, a "newsie," to work and ends up learning a great strategy for selling papers: go to Yankee Stadium and shout the latest about Babe Ruth. Adler, previously paired with Widener for Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man, creates an empathic but unsentimental portrait of life during the Depression. He conveys the father's humiliation and pride, but the boy's satisfaction in his own job and the family's general happiness keep their lot from seeming pitiful. After selling a paper to the Babe himself, the boy feels new kinship with him: "He and I were a team.... His home runs helped me sell newspapers." But baseball isn't really what drives the book--more importantly, "I knew Dad and I were also a team. We were both working to get our family through hard times." Widener's acrylics have a striking presence: their massy forms and jaunty, exaggerated perspectives achieve a look that's both nostalgic and edgy. Adler and Widener score big--their book reads like a labor of love. Ages 5-9. (Apr.)
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
The young hero is angry when he receives a dime rather than a new bike for his birthday. This is the Great Depression, and he discovers that his father has lost his job. He is selling apples on a corner and hiding the fact from the family. The boy's friend, Jacob, is a "newsie." He teaches him the secret of success which is that baseball sells more papers than tragedy. Emotions run strong in this story. It shows an era where a boy could earn more than his father and how shame makes for secrecy. Baseball and Babe Ruth provide a magic that helps this young boy, like many others in the 1930's, transcend troubles and realize that teamwork can conquer any difficulty.
Children's Literature - Sharon Salluzzo
Upon discovering that his father is out of work and selling apples on the street corner, the young protagonist joins his friend Jacob in selling newspapers. After picking up their papers, Jacob takes him to Yankee Stadium where they hawk their papers by giving headlines about Babe Ruth. Then one day, while selling the papers, a tall man buys a paper and tells him to keep the change from the five-dollar bill. Jacob informs him that it was Babe Ruth himself who bought that paper. There was enough to buy two tickets to the game and still add to the money jar, so that is what he did. He continued to keep his father's unemployment a secret from his mother, and knew it was okay because, "I knew Dad and I were also a team." Love, respect, and responsibility (and the excitement of Babe Ruth) are interwoven in this picture book. The expressive illustrations convey the Bronx in the 1930s. The first person narrative works well in this story of the strong bond between a father and his son.
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