ALA Booklist

for reading aloud. In this picture book for older readers, Burleigh uses poetry to introduce the legendary George Herman Babe Ruth. His brief poem celebrates Babe's love for the game and his amazing swing before taking readers and listeners through one at-bat and one mighty home run. Wimmer's large, realistic illustrations, done in oil paint on canvas, capture not only the essence of the man on the field but also his adoring fans. On each recto page, Wimmer has included a reproduction of the back of a baseball card, which provides lots of information--how Babe got his name, his life off the field (I swing big--and I live big, too), and the ways in which he changed the game. The type on the cards, which are authentic in size, is very small, but that's the only drawback to this beautiful book, which will have baseball fans of many ages cheering for Babe Ruth all over again. A wonderful selection to share across generations. (Reviewed August 1998)

Horn Book

Rockwell-esque oil paintings and a reverent poem combine to pay tribute to Babe Ruth, baseball's renowned Sultan of Swat. Children are likely to find the straightforward, though still enthusiastic, informational text block on each spread of more interest than the poem, although a tiny typeface makes for difficult reading.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

"In a series of poetic, present-tense images, readers see Babe at play, while a congruent series of baseball cards provides aficionados with detailed information about the man, his statistics and his life," wrote <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW in a starred review. "A superb tribute, and most definitely a grand slam for this talented duo." Ages 6-9. (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Apr.)

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

K-Gr 4--This lyrical picture-book account is a success on a couple of levels. With a flowing minimal text, Burleigh brings the Babe to life through the moment of one at bat. The focus is on Ruth's fluid swing, which remained true from his young years on the sandlots through the waning days of his stellar career with the New York Yankees. Wimmer's sprawling, photorealistic oil paintings depict the larger-than-life figure and his surroundings with folksy Norman Rockwell-like charm. Older readers will appreciate the replicas of vintage baseball cards that appear on almost every other page. While such contemporary stars as Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey, Jr. have been hitting home runs at a near record pace during this, and in recent, seasons, any comparison with Ruth can be dismissed when considering: "...in 1921, with 59 home runs, the Babe hit more than all other American League players put together!" The fine melding of text and art will be pure pleasure for young hardball fans and may spark interest in one of the many Ruth biographies available, or in other fiction titles about the legendary King of Clout such as Donald Hall's When Willard Met Babe Ruth (Browndeer Press, 1996).--Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI