2011 Finalist for the National Book Award

 

By accepting twenty dollars a week to play third base for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1866, Lip Pike became baseball’s first professional player.

His story, from  his early childhood obstacles all the way to his professional success  is retold in “Lipman Pike-America’s First Home Run King”.

Interwoven subtly through the story are the themes of assimilation (Lip’s dad is OK with baseball becusase they live in America now) as well as the challenges of anti-semitism that Lip encounters from his fellow baseball players. Some  great historical details are inlcuded, like a cameo from Boss Tweed of Tamany hall and the fact that the  game Lip played is  called ‘base’, since it wasn’t yet named baseball.

The illustrations are beautifully painted in rich, warm tones and in a style that feels very appropriate to the period, yet still contemporary in some of it’s stylizations. The time and research the illustrator put in shows:  every detail from the look of the haberdashery shop, the women’s parasols and the stadium all feel very true and accurate. My one critique of the illustrations is that there are a couple of images that don’t seem to match the text on the page. For example, when the text reads that ‘five thousand fans show up, and thousands crowd the fence’, the illustrator shows the fence…but only about six people are standing by it  watching the game .

I personally loved the story and history of the beginnings of baseball, but I am not sure all young children would. The nature of the book feels  historical, important, and mature-not necessarily ‘fun’. It is certainly for the more thoughtful child who can appreciate the beauty of the images, the history and the themes.

 

Rating 4 of 5.

Available on Amazon.