The Babe & I - Hardcover

Adler, David A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152013784 ISBN 13: 9780152013783

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1999

Synopsis

While helping his family make ends meet during the Depression by selling newspapers with his friend Jacob, a boy meets Babe Ruth. By the creators of Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man. Tour. 35,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

For my birthday I was hoping my parents would give me a bicycle. They only gave me a dime.

So begins David Adler's inspired tale of the challenges and magic--yes, magic--of a Depression-era childhood spent in the Bronx, New York. Disappointed, but not surprised by his present, the young narrator in The Babe & I spends his birthday afternoon wandering neighbourhood streets with his best friend Jacob, discussing--as always--the New York Yankees and the world's greatest baseball player, Babe Ruth. The boys may have little in the way of monetary goods, but they do live within walking distance of Yankee stadium. They get a special lift from their proximity to this golden team of graced athletes, even if they can never go inside the gate. On this day, however, the stakes are raised significantly when the narrator discovers a difficult, saddening secret about his father. In response, he decides to join Jacob and become a newspaper boy--a decision that helps his family through these tough years and leads the narrator into the best, most unbelievable encounter of his life--better than any bike or birthday or anything.

Adler's honest, vivid reflection of 1930s life is perfectly complemented by Terry Widener's evocative, earth-toned illustrations. Mural-like, Widener's images help Adler transport the reader to another time and place in a symbiotic pairing that makes this tender book a true work of art. (Age 5 and older) --Jean Lenihan

Review

"The kind of book that makes you want to buy season tickets."
--The Horn Book

"Adler and Widener score big--their book reads like a labor of love."
--Publishers Weekly

[star] "This nostalgic, heartwarming story about hard work and teamwork
highlights heroes big and small."--Booklist (starred review)

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152013784
• ISBN 13: 9780152013783
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Widener Terry