The Babe & I

What a cool way to give some historical perspective to children who would otherwise have a difficult time identifying with the time and the place for this book. It was a powerfully done story and I really enjoyed it.

“For my birthday I was hoping my parents would give me a bicycle. They only gave me a dime.” In the midst of the Great Depression in the Bronx, New York, everyone is poor. The young boy who narrates this story knows that at least his own father has a job, and leaves for work with his briefcase every morning. But soon he discovers that his father doesn’t have a job at all, and instead is selling apples on the street. When his friend Jacob gets him work selling papers as a newsboy, he finds a way to help both his family and his father – with a little help from none other than the Yankee’s famous Babe Ruth.

As fathers we all try to do our best to provide for our children, but we can’t always - and perhaps shouldn’t always – show more shield them from economic realities, especially in hard times. Unlike more prosaic stories about the Great Depression like Mama’s Bank Account, this book is honest in expressing the complex tangle of emotions that can evolve between fathers and children when money becomes tight. The Babe & I will strike a chord instantly familiar to anyone whose family has ever struggled economically, for example when it shows the shame that fathers can feel when they can’t support their families, or the simultaneous disappointment and pride that children can feel in fathers who are struggling to provide. The stylistic illustrations by Terry Widener evoke both the feel of the period and the emotions of the characters, and are at their most powerful when portraying the relationship between the boy and his father. Reviewed by Book Dads show less

I really enjoyed this book, the pictures are beautiful and depict the scene perfectly. The pictures show the true beauty and magic of New York City and Yankee Stadium. The colors were bright and showed the hope that this young boy had even in the darkest of times. The plot was also extremely well thought out and followed the life of the young boy in such a way that drew in the reader and made it seem as if the story was true. The disappointment of the boy when finding out his father's secret was tied into the story in such a way that made sense and did not seem cheesy or overdone. Everything about this story made the main message of the story, which is hard work will pay off in the end, crystal clear.

I loved this book for multiple reasons.The first reason was that even though the time period of the story was the Great Depression, the focus of the story was something positive rather than on the poverty of that time. Baseball was a great distraction for those going through tough times. The second reason I liked this book was because of the illustrations. They brought the book to life with the colorful and detailed pictures to give the readers a visual of what things looked like during that time period. For example, my favorite picture was of the elevated train and I liked the different styles of clothes the characters were wearing. The main message of this story was that even though the characters in the story were going through tough show more times, Babe Ruth provided them with a distraction. show less

I loved this book. I loved it because of the point of view and the characterization of the main character. The point of view was first person, and it was told from the view of a little boy whose family struggled with money during the great depression. The story being told from this view point made it much more interesting and easy to connect to. The reader was able to better understand the heart ache and struggles of the family. The little boy said, "Where we lived in Bronx, New York, everyone was poor." I also loved the characterization of that little boy. He was characterized as a hard worker who wanted to do what he could to help his family. He sold newspapers all day to contribute to bills, and he kept his dad's unemployment a show more secret for him. The main message I took from this story is that hard work pays off. Also, it's the little things that make a big difference. show less

The Babe & I takes place during the year of The Great Depression. A family who is struggling just to make it through the times. Even though times are hard, the son of the family feels as though his family is one of the lucky ones because they have a working father. He soon realizes his father is unemployed as well. Wanting to pitch in, the boy decides to help his family by selling newspapers. Instead of calling out disasters and tragedy, the boy decides to sell papers near a football stadium where the great Babe Ruth plays. Calling out headlines that pertains only to Babe Ruth, he finds himself making more money than his dad, and even had the opportunity to meet Babe Ruth. This book is a great story of hope! Hope during a time that show more seemed hopeless, and through the love of baseball, a boy finds a way to help his family and meet his idol. In a world today where so much is going on, sometimes we just need that one thing that gives us hope. May it be family, music, laughter, or sports. I gave the book four stars because I feel there was no clear story line. I see more theme than purpose. It is unclear what the author's purpose is. show less

The Babe and I is good historical fiction picture book. It focuses on the life of a kid growing up during the great depression of the 1930's. The kid sells newspapers at Yankee stadium to help support his family after his dad lost his job. The books message is to showcase what life was like during the great depression. The book is excellent at relating the events of the 1930's to the reader by using baseball to connect the past to the present. The book accomplishes this by setting Babe Ruth, one of the most famous baseball players, as the focus of the book. Most readers who are familiar with baseball should know about Babe Ruth. This connection of using Baseball and Babe ruth allows the reader to better engage with the story because of show more their familiarity with the subject. the book also does a great job of using descriptive text to depict the 1930's. the descriptive text accompanied with the illustrations allow for readers to understand what life may have been like during the great depression. An example of this pairing of text and illustration to inform the reader is the part of the book where the boy sees many well-dressed men including his father selling apples on the street. this informs the reader that during the 1930's many people were unemployed and had to sell apples and other produce to make money to support their families. The book is a good book that is well written and illustrated to inform the reader about the great depression and is easily relatable to readers through the use of baseball to connect the past to the present. show less