How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball

by David Shannon, Larry Johnson

Mean, greedy Boss Swaggert outlaws the game of baseball, playing fields are bulldozed, players are imprisoned, and spring disappears; but in the midst of the new, constant winter, a small boy named Georgie Radbourn challenges Swaggert to a game, and wins.

Genres: Picture Books, Baseball, Childrens, Sports, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, Library Binding

First published April 1, 1994

About the author

David Shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, with a fine arts degree, and then moved to New York City. His editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone, and his artwork has appeared on numerous book jackets. Shannon is a passionate baseball fan and softball player. He and his wife now live in Los Angeles.


David Shannon @ Scholastic

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a David Shannon fan, but this was a great story with cool illustrations (not in the No David! style). I love the idea that without baseball spring never comes.

[Brianna Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgie Radbourn saved baseball was a dark yet inspirational book about how one person can change the world by being who they are and believing what they believe. The pictures among the pages depicted the words very well and could depict the moods and feelings being described. I find this book to be enjoyable but maybe for a little bit older audience of children as it is kind of dark and maybe even scary for really young children. However I think the central message of be who you are and don’t let anyone change your beliefs is important and thought provoking.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baseball legend that an upper elementary class would clamor over. I have a pretty loyal following of Shannon's work in my library (mostly due to the David series), but this would appeal to a whole other segment of my patrons. Those same kids that want nothing but Matt Christopher, Tim Green, and Mike Lupica would snap this up in a heartbeat.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange, dark, yet captivating story of how baseball was banned in the U.S. Speaking of baseball was even forbidden and would get you arrested. Because there wasn't baseball, there was only one season, dark, dreary winter. Then a little boy named Georgie was born and eventually things changed but the events leading up to it was interesting. Definitely geared towards upper elementary students due to it's longevity and dark story line.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An oddly dystopian children's picture book. Set in a world where baseball has become illegal, everyone works in factories, and spring never comes; it is even illegal to use the language of baseball. But, for some reason, Georgie Radbourn can only talk in baseball terms, so how can he possibly survive in this world? Interesting concept.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a time baseball was outlawed and as people became more depressed, spring, summer, and fall stopped coming until there was only winter. When Georgie Radbourn was born he was an unusual boy whose language was filled with baseball terms - forbidden to be spoken. This wonderful fable is gorgeously illustrated. The reader has much to see while discovering what Georgie did to save baseball.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this lavishly illustrated picture book, renowned artist David Shannon presents a parable about a happy world undermined when one power-hungry, bitter man outlaws baseball. When baseball disappears, so does spring. Soon winter follows winter. It's up to

[Stacey Mulholland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I think. When reading this to a child, know the child as it is a dark book.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

While gorgeously illustrated, the contrived plot and overall lack of diversity in this book leave a lot to be desired. Very text heavy.

[Alexis Kydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boss Swaggert's baseball career started at a high. He loved the crowd chanting and yelling in the ballpark. However, this started to change when his career went downhill. He was in a slump and one last strike out with the bases loaded is how he ended his career. He became a successful rich man (obviously not through baseball), but grew to hate the game due to his lack of skill. He became a very powerful man who ruled the town. He made ballparks into factories and made everyone work. He made sure there was no talk of baseball. When Georgie Radbourn was born, his parents freaked out when his vocabulary only consisted of terms connecting to the game. One day, Georgie got in trouble for his baseball talk. Boss was furious, but the town had hope. You see, once baseball was taken away, the seasons were to. It was Winter all year because there wasn't baseball being played. A deal is then made to see if Georgie can save his town.
The illustrations in this book aren't as detailed as other David Shannon books. The beginning has a lot of detail to show Boss' dark side. However, the text really tells the story more than the illustrations. There isn't much detail to show other than facial expressions. Boss always is grumpy and Georgie has nothing but good intentions so he's pretty happy. It's pretty dark throughout the book, but his use of color definitely was that way because it's Winter throughout most of the book.
I grew up loving baseball. I still do love baseball. I love how kids can connect to the book in that sense. It seems to be more of a book to read to younger boys because they'll put themselves in the place of someone living wherever the story is being taken place in. No matter who is reading it though, it's obvious that the reader is most likely rooting for Georgie along with the rest of the town. It's cute how much people love the sport and miss the seasons changing. I'm thinking that David Shannon has some kind of connection with the sport because the fact that baseball determines the seasons is a bit dramatic.

[Megan Cureton · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball is a story about a young boy who spoke only of baseball sayings. This was a problem because baseball was forbidden in his town by Boss Swaggert, which since baseball has been forbidden, the only season has been winter. When Boss heard the news of Georgie talking these baseball sayings, they decided to make a bet. If Georgie could strike him out then baseball would be legal again and Georgie would be free, but if Boss gets a hit, then baseball stays forbidden and Georgie and his parents go to prison for the rest of their lives. Georgie came to save the day and baseball was legal again, and all the seasons came back. I really enjoyed this story about Georgie Radbourn. My favorite part of the story was of course when he struck out Boss Swaggert and baseball became the pastime again. I felt myself being scared for Georgie in the beginning because I didn't know what was going to happen to him, since baseball sayings were illegal, and that's all that ever came out of his mouth. I feel like younger readers would especially love this book. I can see them cheering Georgie on in the end when he is pitching to Boss and hoping that he will strike out. I would use this book as a read aloud, to introduce baseball to the students in the spring time, when we could go outside and play it. I would also have this book in my classroom library for my first through third graders. I think the ones that have a special interest in baseball would really appreciate this book and love reading about Georgie. I really enjoyed the illustrations by David Shannon. I like how he kept the illustrations dark for the parts in the book that were sad and depressing, and at the end, how he lightened up the illustrations because the people were happy again, now that baseball is back. I thought that was a nice touch by Shannon. I really enjoyed reading about Georgie and how he saved baseball.

[Araceli Aispuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was winter in America, but there is no surprise here. It was always winter in America. There was no spring, autumn, or even summer. Boss Swaggert was what they called him. He was a wealthy man with a lot of control. He got rid of baseball fields and put up factories. No one was to play baseball nor even speak baseball. America was cold and snowy all the time. One day, a little boy by the name of Georgie Radbourn was born. A boy with a passion. He challenged the boss at a game. Georgie, he showed him.

Although this is a really great book, I feel that it may be a little challenging to its readers. There is quite a bit of complex worlds and "inner" meanings that may be mostly understood by Adults. Yet, the story is very interesting or even legendary. The illustrations are realistic and correspond to the story very well. This book was very inspiring and it made me happy to know that one little boy could make such a difference. As for the illustrations, mostly were dark and warm colors that depicted the mood of the characters very well. It also depicted that it was winter and cold.

[Michaela George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a man named Boss Swaggart who bans baseball from the world. He builds factories all over all of the baseball fields and it is always winter. Everyone is miserable because spring never comes. There is a little boy named Georgie who can’t stay away from baseball. He always wants to throw pitches and toss the ball around. He challenges Boss Swaggart to a baseball game, where Georgie is pitching and Boss Swaggart is batting. If Georgie wins then they can get baseball back. He ends up winning so baseball is brought back. Everyone doesn’t realize how much they need baseball until they get it back. Everyone is a lot happier in the end.

Critique: I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I think it was well written but it wasn't a story that really caught my interest. It was a little bland and boring.

In class actvitiy: I think something that would be really fun for the class would be to go play a game of baseball after they read this book. I remember when we got to go play a game outside with my entire class it was a lot of fun. This would be a great way to incorporate the book and give them incentive to read it.

[Marissa Cuevas]

How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball is an inspirational story that shows that people can have an impact on what the future can look like. This story describes a story about how Boss Swaggert had decided that baseball should be outlawed. He began by destroying fields and making sure that it was not played or spoken about. Years after Boss started to abolish the sport. Georgie couldn’t stop saying stuff about baseball that he got sent to jail. Georgie then decided to challenge Boss so that they could have baseball again. He bet that if he could strike him out that baseball could be played again. This book is so inspirational in many different levels. It shows how no matter what if you love something then you should fight for it and not be afraid. This book is so heart felt and made me feel as though anything is possible. It is very well written and David Shannon did a great job portraying this story.

[Kristin Falenski]

The book How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball is about a man who wanted to outlaw baseball and started to make it so people stopped remembering what it was. Georgie loved baseball though and he did not want to stop playing or talking about it. He did not think that it was right for the man to outlaw baseball so he challenged the man to make it so baseball would come back and people would play and love it again. Georgie is looked at as a hero and people look up to him for the actions he takes. This is an inspiring book for the readers. It shows that if you try hard enough you can do anything you set your mind to. The illustrations help to enhance the story and goes along with the theme of it very well. They are very dark however which can go well with the story but can be a deterrent to reading the book.

[Hannah Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball" is the story of a boy who can only say words related to baseball in a time when baseball is outlawed. When he is put on trial, he challenges the man in charge with being able to strike him out. Georgie does this and brings baseball back to America! This story takes on a plot that is truly one of a kind, making the story engaging and unique. This story may especially appeal to young male readers because of its relation to baseball. This story can be used to teach students the importance of perseverance and having faith in yourself.
This book is David Shannon's first, and is very different from his others in both its illustrations and text. This story has a much more detailed plot and lengthy text in comparison to his other picture books. The illustrations in this book are also much darker than his others, with finer details.

[Matthew West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a baseball player who finds himself in such a bad slump that he decides to end his career and encourage people to never play baseball. The ex-player builds factories where ballparks use to be and the public decides not to play baseball until Georgie Radbourn saves the day and defeats the anti-baseball player. This is a wonderful story about good defeating evil. I really enjoyed the illustrations within this book and the creativity used to describe good and bad through the use of a sport, great book.

Shannon, D. (2012). How Georgie Radburn Saved Baseball. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

PB:23 How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball. This was a great little story about a country's struggle without baseball and the heartless man who took it away from them. But soon enough, a young boy names Georgie, saves the country and brings back baseball. This is an enjoyable story, especially if you're children or child are into baseball. Baseball was the life for many people back then and it still is very relevant today, which makes this book a must read!

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, with a little deeper message about how your rights can be taken away by corrupt individuals. The whole thing feels somewhat symbolic and gives me the urge to analyze it complete as an allegory of some kind.

Or we can just say it's a kid's book on baseball meant to entertain. But where's the fun in that?

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard to imagine an America without springtime, opening day, and baseball, but that is just the images created in this book! The illustrations are excellent, exactly what I would expect from David Shannon. This would be a great book to teach cause and effect, as well as standing up for your rights. The storyline flows well. This read is best suited for upper elementary school students.

[Travis Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgie lives in a world of only work, where no one can enjoy baseball or really anything. He was talented and wanted to do something about it. He challenges "the man" and beats him which makes his world so much more enjoyable. I would use this book to introduce the idea that even though you are young doesn't mean you cannot do it.

[Katherine Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball is the story of a boy who can only say words related to baseball in a time when baseball is outlawed. When he is put on trial, he challenges the man in charge with being able to strike him out. Georgie does this and brings baseball back to America! This story can be used to teach students the importance of perseverance and having faith in yourself.

[Victoria Binkerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Shannon has done it again! I felt like I was swept back in time as I read this book, trying to imagine how an American could ever take away this country's favorite pastime! Everything about this book was top notch! GO READ IT!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought back a lot of my prior knowledge from the movie The Natural and a prior book read. Awesome!!!!

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know a lot of people enjoy Shannon's Oh No! David series but I think I liked his art style and story-telling in this one better.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Boss outlaws baseball in America, spring stops coming--until a young boy beats the tyrant at his own game.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this title was familiar! It's a reissue of David Shannon's authorial debut - with a new cover - one much more inviting than the original.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this work of Shannon's. Didn't like the ending, but the rest made up for it. That's usually not the case for me.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!