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Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth
Like most boys, he spent his summers playing ball on a dirt lot, but George Herman Ruth, Jr. followed his dreams to become a legend. He is the Babe—Babe Ruth—and baseball is his game.
Powerful oil paintings and spare, dramatic text draw readers into the mind of this larger-than-life sports hero. Reproductions of vintage-style baseball cards throughout the book detail Babe Ruth's career highlights.
Home Run is a compelling portrait of a man, and of a time when baseball was truly America's game.
Powerful oil paintings and spare, dramatic text draw readers into the mind of this larger-than-life sports hero. Reproductions of vintage-style baseball cards throughout the book detail Babe Ruth's career highlights.
Home Run is a compelling portrait of a man, and of a time when baseball was truly America's game.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
7 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Robert Burleigh
73 books47 followersOver the past 35 years, I have published poems, reviews, essays, many filmstrips and videos, and more than 40 children's picture books.
Born and raised in Chicago, I graduated from DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) and later received an MA in humanities from the University of Chicago. I've published books for children since the early 1990s. My books - including numerous unpublished ones! - run a broad gamut, from stories geared for pre-schoolers to survival stories and biographies aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds. My work is wide-ranging because, basically, I'm a generalist by experience - and inclination!
In addition to writing, I paint regularly under the art name Burleigh Kronquist and have shown work in one-person and group shows in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere around the country.
-from robertburleigh.com
Born and raised in Chicago, I graduated from DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) and later received an MA in humanities from the University of Chicago. I've published books for children since the early 1990s. My books - including numerous unpublished ones! - run a broad gamut, from stories geared for pre-schoolers to survival stories and biographies aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds. My work is wide-ranging because, basically, I'm a generalist by experience - and inclination!
In addition to writing, I paint regularly under the art name Burleigh Kronquist and have shown work in one-person and group shows in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere around the country.
-from robertburleigh.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 2, 2017
Home run the story of Babe Ruth is a historical fiction picture book about Major League Baseball player Babe Ruth. It is very generalized and not very in detail about his life itself but more of a rough outline of what he contributed and how he played.
In my opinion this book was very boring and to generalized for me to get anything substantial out of it. I don't really understand the point of why they used a great baseball legend like Babe Ruth if they weren't even really going to talk about him. The author could have wrote this book centered around any baseball player and that's why I didn't enjoy it as much, I went into expecting much more along the lines of Babe Ruth and Baseball.
The art is very realistic which fits the story well because it is a real persons life and it wouldn't make any sense to have it drawn any other way other then this or real photography. It sets the tone of the book nicely with the use of these realistic images and old school color scheme.
The art style used in this book did a good job of adding texture to the images. Not only can you see what's going but you also can get a pretty good image about what things feel like. The use of shading and three dimensional landscape and characters really adds a lot to the visuals and really doesn't leave much else to be desired.
Because theirs book is a historical fiction the setting although not extremely prominent plays a role in the book. The book does a good job staying true to the time period, for example characters in the book book have more old fashion close on and the broadcaster was on a very old school ham radio like contraption which really helped me as a reader grasp the time period being portrayed.
I think the tone of this book really showed through. If I were to guess I would say the author was a huge Babe Ruth fan. As I was reading the book I could pick up on a sense of awe with every page. The author wrote about how Babe swing was amazing, and how even when he misses you can hear the bat. I think this author had a great deal of respect or admiration for Babe Ruth.
This book is historical fiction and does a good job of staying true to the times and not having any unbelievable or impossible things in it.
In my opinion this book was very boring and to generalized for me to get anything substantial out of it. I don't really understand the point of why they used a great baseball legend like Babe Ruth if they weren't even really going to talk about him. The author could have wrote this book centered around any baseball player and that's why I didn't enjoy it as much, I went into expecting much more along the lines of Babe Ruth and Baseball.
The art is very realistic which fits the story well because it is a real persons life and it wouldn't make any sense to have it drawn any other way other then this or real photography. It sets the tone of the book nicely with the use of these realistic images and old school color scheme.
The art style used in this book did a good job of adding texture to the images. Not only can you see what's going but you also can get a pretty good image about what things feel like. The use of shading and three dimensional landscape and characters really adds a lot to the visuals and really doesn't leave much else to be desired.
Because theirs book is a historical fiction the setting although not extremely prominent plays a role in the book. The book does a good job staying true to the time period, for example characters in the book book have more old fashion close on and the broadcaster was on a very old school ham radio like contraption which really helped me as a reader grasp the time period being portrayed.
I think the tone of this book really showed through. If I were to guess I would say the author was a huge Babe Ruth fan. As I was reading the book I could pick up on a sense of awe with every page. The author wrote about how Babe swing was amazing, and how even when he misses you can hear the bat. I think this author had a great deal of respect or admiration for Babe Ruth.
This book is historical fiction and does a good job of staying true to the times and not having any unbelievable or impossible things in it.
May 11, 2022
I just finished reading the book “HOME RUN” by ROBERT BURLEIGH and illustrated by MIKE WIMMER. Like most boys, he spent his summers playing ball on a dirt lot, but George Herman Ruth, Jr. followed his dreams to become a legend. He is the Babe—Babe Ruth—and baseball is his game. Powerful oil paintings and spare, dramatic text draw readers into the mind of this larger-than-life sports hero. Reproductions of vintage-style baseball cards throughout the book detail Babe Ruth's career highlights. Home Run is a compelling portrait of a man, and of a time when baseball was truly America's game.
Reading this book brought back one of my favorite kids movies “THE SANDLOT” and this scene:
Benny and Smalls walk up to the other kids as Ham Porter is doing his Babe Ruth impression.
Ham: “I’m the great Bambino.”
Smalls: “Who’s that?”
Ham: “What?”
Narrator: “I had no idea who they were talking about.”
Ham: “What did he say?”
Bertram: “What, were you born in a barn, man?”
Yeah-Yeah: “Yeah, yeah. What planet are you from.”
Narrator: “There was no way I could let them know.”
Squints: “You’ve never heard of the Sultan of Swat?”
DeNunez: “The Titan of Terror?”
Timmy: “The Colossus of Clout?”
Tommy: “The Colossus of Clout?”
Benny: “The King of Crash, man.”
Narrator: “So, I lied.”
Smalls: “Oh, yeah. The Great Bambino! Of course. I thought you said The Great Bambi.”
Ham: “That wimpy deer?”
Smalls: “Yeah. I guess. Sorry.”
Reading this book brought back one of my favorite kids movies “THE SANDLOT” and this scene:
Benny and Smalls walk up to the other kids as Ham Porter is doing his Babe Ruth impression.
Ham: “I’m the great Bambino.”
Smalls: “Who’s that?”
Ham: “What?”
Narrator: “I had no idea who they were talking about.”
Ham: “What did he say?”
Bertram: “What, were you born in a barn, man?”
Yeah-Yeah: “Yeah, yeah. What planet are you from.”
Narrator: “There was no way I could let them know.”
Squints: “You’ve never heard of the Sultan of Swat?”
DeNunez: “The Titan of Terror?”
Timmy: “The Colossus of Clout?”
Tommy: “The Colossus of Clout?”
Benny: “The King of Crash, man.”
Narrator: “So, I lied.”
Smalls: “Oh, yeah. The Great Bambino! Of course. I thought you said The Great Bambi.”
Ham: “That wimpy deer?”
Smalls: “Yeah. I guess. Sorry.”
June 8, 2021
Biography Non-Fiction, with some lovely descriptive prose as well.
3-6 (Can be read for younger without including the non-fiction facts on the bottom of each page)
The oil painting illustrations by Mike Wimmer make this book worth owning. The beautiful prose, sparse but effective, opposite each painting transport the reader to a baseball field some hundred years ago. And the paragraphs of non-fiction information and statistics about Babe Ruth's career on the bottom of each of those prose pages more than prove that this man was one of the greatest players of all time.
I learned a fair bit about Babe Ruth, including how he got his nickname. I enjoy baseball, but Burleigh's writing ensures that even someone who is unfamiliar with the game will be able to enjoy this book and appreciate the impact that Ruth had on the game. For those that are completely in love with baseball and understand the stats, there are enough of those to make them happy, too.
Math connections can be made by using the easily understood stats (total number of hits, etc.) for younger grades and by using the calculated stats (Batting average, ERA, etc.) for older grades.
Text set: famous people; baseball; U.S. History; illustrations
3-6 (Can be read for younger without including the non-fiction facts on the bottom of each page)
The oil painting illustrations by Mike Wimmer make this book worth owning. The beautiful prose, sparse but effective, opposite each painting transport the reader to a baseball field some hundred years ago. And the paragraphs of non-fiction information and statistics about Babe Ruth's career on the bottom of each of those prose pages more than prove that this man was one of the greatest players of all time.
I learned a fair bit about Babe Ruth, including how he got his nickname. I enjoy baseball, but Burleigh's writing ensures that even someone who is unfamiliar with the game will be able to enjoy this book and appreciate the impact that Ruth had on the game. For those that are completely in love with baseball and understand the stats, there are enough of those to make them happy, too.
Math connections can be made by using the easily understood stats (total number of hits, etc.) for younger grades and by using the calculated stats (Batting average, ERA, etc.) for older grades.
Text set: famous people; baseball; U.S. History; illustrations
November 28, 2017
This historical fiction book, perfect for grades kindergarten-3, is one that I have always loved. I grew up with a mom who loved baseball and a grandma who loved it even more than my mom. It is because of his that this was one of my grandmas first books that I got here for Christmas. Then my love for this sport only grew when I started dating my Fiance and he played baseball. This book just has so many memories tagged to it that when I needed more historical fiction books and I went home over break I just had to reread it.
November 28, 2018
This is a book about Babe Ruth told in two parts. The top of each page is like a normal children's book-- sort of lyrical and tells a story. And then the bottom of each page has a short factoid-style story. I'll be honest, I had a hard time reading the facts because the print is sort of small.
All very interesting information and a different format.
All very interesting information and a different format.
May 14, 2021
A concise, kid-friendly, picture book biography of "Babe" Ruth. I read this aloud to my 6 year old, who found some of it heavy with baseball lingo (something he hasn't been exposed to yet). With some explaining, it was suitable. It's a nice factual introduction to one of America's first real baseball superstars.
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September 27, 2023The book follows Babe Ruth's journey from his humble beginnings in Baltimore to becoming a baseball superstar known for his incredible hitting prowess and home run records. In the classroom, have students write a biography of an athlete of their choice.
March 2, 2017
Great example of word selection for maximum effect.
August 6, 2019
This book is well written. The descriptive language that is used is fantastic.
October 17, 2021
This was a good story about Babe Ruth's many records and accomplishments as a baseball player.
January 29, 2025
Short. Sweet. About the Babe. Not much here not to like. I also liked how there was short historical snippets on the bottom of the pages.
October 8, 2020
This book is about Babe Ruth and how he played baseball. It describes how he played on a dirt lot before he made it pro and it shows us some of the baseball cards that were made about him. The illustrations were amazing and engaging. This book is recommended for students aged 4-7.
December 1, 2019
Even when he was a young boy, Babe Ruth loved everything about baseball. This book goes through the life of Babe and everything he did for the game of baseball.
One thing I really like about this book is the fact that it has a fun fact about Babe on almost every page. These facts consist of his seasonal records, the number of hits he had, and many others. Also, this book is very simple to read, making it easy for young readers to understand. This is important because we need students of all ages to be able to read biographies. Finally, I think this book would go great with a comparison activity. Students could find other biographies about other famous athletes and compare and contrast the two. Then, the students can write about the two athletes. Another idea is to have the students read the book and then write their own short biography about someone they admire.
One thing I really like about this book is the fact that it has a fun fact about Babe on almost every page. These facts consist of his seasonal records, the number of hits he had, and many others. Also, this book is very simple to read, making it easy for young readers to understand. This is important because we need students of all ages to be able to read biographies. Finally, I think this book would go great with a comparison activity. Students could find other biographies about other famous athletes and compare and contrast the two. Then, the students can write about the two athletes. Another idea is to have the students read the book and then write their own short biography about someone they admire.
November 17, 2017
The poetic main text of this picture book biography is very spare, but it is supplemented by baseball cards on each page which provide additional facts about Babe Ruth. The real appeal of the book, though, comes from the illustrations by Mike Wimmer, which feel nostalgic in a Norman Rockwell way and realistic in a Wendell Minor way.
June 29, 2012
Illustrations were incredible and life-like. The special touch of the vintage baseball cards filled with Babe Ruth facts were my favorite.
Babe Ruth facts:
*Great pitcher and hitter;
*He got his name from his Baltimore Orioles manager at the age of 19 when he had never seen a train or elevator. "You're just a Babe in the woods!"
*Babe went for a home run on every swing. He was an all or nothing kind of hitter. Also held the strikeout record for many years.
*Babe swung big and lived big. He loved driving convertibles, coonskin coats, silk shirts, and HUGE meals! During games he would order a BAG of hotdogs delivered to the Yankee dugout.
*Huge tipper giving over $100.
1921 Babe hit 59 home runs, more than most teams
1923 when Yankee Stadium opened, over 60,000 fans came
1927 Babe hit 60 home runs, the record for more than 30 years.
1920's Yankees were the most powerful team. 1927 team the best with Ruth and first baseman, Lou Gehrig.
Yankee Stadium-- "The House That Ruth Built"
1935 retired
714 major league home runs, record stood for 40 years.
It was Ruth, the whole Ruth, and nothing but the RUTH!!
Babe Ruth facts:
*Great pitcher and hitter;
*He got his name from his Baltimore Orioles manager at the age of 19 when he had never seen a train or elevator. "You're just a Babe in the woods!"
*Babe went for a home run on every swing. He was an all or nothing kind of hitter. Also held the strikeout record for many years.
*Babe swung big and lived big. He loved driving convertibles, coonskin coats, silk shirts, and HUGE meals! During games he would order a BAG of hotdogs delivered to the Yankee dugout.
*Huge tipper giving over $100.
1921 Babe hit 59 home runs, more than most teams
1923 when Yankee Stadium opened, over 60,000 fans came
1927 Babe hit 60 home runs, the record for more than 30 years.
1920's Yankees were the most powerful team. 1927 team the best with Ruth and first baseman, Lou Gehrig.
Yankee Stadium-- "The House That Ruth Built"
1935 retired
714 major league home runs, record stood for 40 years.
It was Ruth, the whole Ruth, and nothing but the RUTH!!
December 16, 2009
2nd-5th Grade
This biography about Babe Ruth is fantastic even if there were no words in the book. The Illustrations done by Mike Wimmer look like they are photographs done in oil paints. They are realistic and the way he makes Babe Ruth look is incredible. The story is good also; it follows Babe as a child to thrilling his fans as a New York Yankee. The most interesting thing they did was place the illustration is on one page and text is on the other, but on each page of text they recreated a bubble gum card with more in depth facts about Ruth. Students that like baseball should love this book. The bubble gum card information will appeal to students that are already familiar with Ruth and the normal text will get them the story of his career.
Social Studies/ Math – The bubble gum cards in the book have statistics from Babe Ruth’s career, a lesson can be built around how those statistics are compiled by using the correct math equations.
This biography about Babe Ruth is fantastic even if there were no words in the book. The Illustrations done by Mike Wimmer look like they are photographs done in oil paints. They are realistic and the way he makes Babe Ruth look is incredible. The story is good also; it follows Babe as a child to thrilling his fans as a New York Yankee. The most interesting thing they did was place the illustration is on one page and text is on the other, but on each page of text they recreated a bubble gum card with more in depth facts about Ruth. Students that like baseball should love this book. The bubble gum card information will appeal to students that are already familiar with Ruth and the normal text will get them the story of his career.
Social Studies/ Math – The bubble gum cards in the book have statistics from Babe Ruth’s career, a lesson can be built around how those statistics are compiled by using the correct math equations.
February 1, 2016
George Ruth, the babe, always loved baseball. When he was young, he practiced with his friends. Babe was always a natural when batting. He used this talent to advance to the major league at a young age. Babe is a baseball 'hit' in more ways than one. Through his career, he forever changed the game he fell in love with as a child. This story explores the life of George "Babe" Ruth. The book begins with his childhood and ends with his career in the MLB.
I loved this book. Not only is the information easy to understand, but also it covers a wide expanse of his life. Also, on each page is a drawing of a newspaper clipping giving more information to advanced readers. I also LOVE the artwork. The different illustrated faces are very realistic. The illustration almost has a Norman Rockwell look to it.
I think that this book is a great non-fiction resource for a classroom. It could be used to teach about biographies, baseball, or early Americana.
I loved this book. Not only is the information easy to understand, but also it covers a wide expanse of his life. Also, on each page is a drawing of a newspaper clipping giving more information to advanced readers. I also LOVE the artwork. The different illustrated faces are very realistic. The illustration almost has a Norman Rockwell look to it.
I think that this book is a great non-fiction resource for a classroom. It could be used to teach about biographies, baseball, or early Americana.
January 26, 2010
I used this book as a short story for a day some of my students go to a Gifted and Talented class (we call it SHORT STORY MONDAY). It was a nice introduction into informational text, which we have been stepping slowly into this past week. I loved the illustrations, they are simply gorgeous. But more importantly, the way the text was arranged created a lot of teachable moments. The sparse words at the top explaining how deftly Ruth swung was mixed nicely with the large amount of text inside an old fashioned baseball card. I thought the two blended nicely, and it gave us so much information on each page about the historic player. My students (boys and girls) walked away with a deeper appreciation of him after having read it.
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May 8, 2015I liked this book and it really showed that you can't be born perfect at something you have to work at it.
The book home run is a great book about babe Ruth it really shows all the things he had to over come. In the book it even talks about how he had a very serious drinking problem and he was always at the bar, but put side of the bar he was a great guy he was really in to women and he was great with kids and cared a lot about kids.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sports especially baseball.
The book home run is a great book about babe Ruth it really shows all the things he had to over come. In the book it even talks about how he had a very serious drinking problem and he was always at the bar, but put side of the bar he was a great guy he was really in to women and he was great with kids and cared a lot about kids.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sports especially baseball.
November 30, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. I used it for my lesson about Babe Ruth. I read the book to the students and I also summarized the information that was on the baseball cards on most pages. The students made their own baseball cards from the information from the book.
I could have done a lesson integrating Social Studies with Literacy through poetry. Since there is a fifth grade standard for figurative language, I could use this book.
I could have done a lesson integrating Social Studies with Literacy through poetry. Since there is a fifth grade standard for figurative language, I could use this book.
February 7, 2016
Home Run by Robert Burleigh and Mike Wimmer is the story of Babe Ruth. Robert told Babe's amazing story in a non rhyming poetic manner as if he were describing a single baseball game. In addition, every other page included facts on vintage style baseball cards. Mike added dimension to the story with some of the most fantastic illustrations I have seen in a while. Illustrations, which I might add, that looked like they were oil paintings.
March 5, 2012
This is a nice creative non-fiction--almost more poetry than fact. I liked the trading card idea for trivia and facts but thought that they were WAY TOO HARD to read--shame on the publisher for placing a fairly authentic card size over readability!
I met Burleigh at a conference at BYU--nice guy and I like the leaps he makes in non-fiction.
I met Burleigh at a conference at BYU--nice guy and I like the leaps he makes in non-fiction.
April 28, 2013
Told in poetry, this book is the real story of Babe Ruth's life. The illustrations are great and the story is presented in a unique format. Since this book is told in poem format, it reads very smoothly and would be a great book to read out loud to children.
Publication Date: 1998
Age/Grade level: preschool to 2nd grade
Format: Print Book
Publication Date: 1998
Age/Grade level: preschool to 2nd grade
Format: Print Book
September 27, 2013
Babe Ruth has always been a baseball legend. It was a different game and time then and it is worth speculating about his talent if he were to play today. Nevertheless, it is an interesting story and a true baseball fan would appreciate the Bubble Gum card replicas found throughout the book with all kinds of facts and figures of his career.
April 12, 2016
Matthew: I think that this book was very great, I would cry if I didn't read this. This book has a lot of history in it. I really liked this book.
March 18, 2011
I have to admit I am a bit of a baseball addict! I love the history of the game, the interesting players, and the feel of the sport. This was a beautiful biography on the home run king, Babe Ruth. The lyrical prose of the text and good illustrations combine to tell a great story about this legend!
July 28, 2013
This picture book of babe is a nice tribute to the positive side of Babe's baseball career. Additional information about Babe is written on cards. The type, in my opinion, is too small. I did really enjoy the different perspectives in the illustrations.
February 11, 2014
This book would be good for those who like baseball and history. The famous babe Ruth is popular among all baseball fans. This book is unlike others because it has a story line and also has "baseball cards" of information and history about babe Ruth and his baseball career.
December 3, 2015
Babe Ruth is such a legend and although this is just a partial biography it did a great job of telling you about him. You learn where he grows up, when he is first drafted, how he is as a professional baseball player and as a person. I actually learned a lot from this biography.
June 4, 2008
Not a baseball fan by any means but the story was captivating. An excellent book for both the young (simple story) and older (plenty of info and insight on baseball cards throughout) readers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews