Book Summary: George Ruth gets into a lot of trouble. When he is seven his father enrolls him in Saint Mary's School, where the students call themselves, 'inmates.' Life in Saint Mary's is extremely boring and redundant except that Ruth gets to play baseball every day with his friends. His talent lands him in the Major League and he holds many impressive records for pitching, and his famous home runs. Early in his career his teammates started calling him Babe because he was so young and soon the newspapers were calling him that as well. Later on in life when Saint Mary's burns down he is able to pay to rebuild it and give back to the school that led him to his destiny.
APA Reference: Tavares, Matt. (2013). Becoming babe ruth. New York, NY: Candlewick.
Impressions: I loved how this biography seemed more like a narrative than an informational book. There were all of the important dates and facts for Babe Ruth but the style of writing was what I liked so much. I really enjoyed the illustrations as much as the text and I liked how on some of the pages there was a lot of whitespace around one or several smaller pictures while others took the full spread across the centerfold. I had no idea that Babe Ruth was a trouble maker and I enjoyed the narrative style of learning about his past. The title is spot on- how did Babe Ruth become who he was. Great read.
Professional Review: On the cover portrait of this picture-book biography, George Herman Ruth’s eyes twinkle so realistically, one expects the famous wink. Inside, this exceptionally engaging chronicle recounts Ruth’s amazing rags-to-riches story, from his early family troubles and placement at age seven into Saint Mary’s Industrial School for Boys to his triumphant career with the New York Yankees. The narrative wisely telescopes much of his baseball career, citing a few professional feats, explaining the origin of his nickname, and vividly capturing his larger-than-life celebrity status, including his enormous appetite, undisciplined lifestyle, and boyish charm. But there’s also an emphasis on Ruth’s time at St. Mary’s and the critical influence of the school’s Brother Matthias. The story comes full circle, closing with Ruth’s generosity to the school after a disastrous fire. Well-researched, realistic illustrations, rendered in watercolor, gouache, and pencil, depict early-twentieth-century life and Major League Baseball during Ruth’s era. Equally important, the art captures Ruth’s irrepressible personality and joy in playing baseball. Yes, the eyes definitely twinkle. Back matter includes a chart of statistics, author’s note, and bibliography. Grades 1-4. --Linda Perkins
Perkins, Linda. [Review of the book becoming babe ruth]. Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Babe-Ruth-Matt-Tavares/dp/0763656461
Library Uses: This book has so many different possibilities! Of course there are summer and sport displays as well as biographies. I think this would be a great book for part of an introductory research assignment as well- plenty of facts while not being a dry informational text.
