Babe Ruth: One of Baseball's Greatest

by Guernsey Van Riper Jr.

Babe Ruth was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and for good he broke countless records and hit 714 home runs, an achievement that went unmatched from 1935 until 1974. A legend in baseball and an American icon, Babe Ruth’s impressive tenure with the Red Sox and later the New York Yankees left an enduring legacy.

But did you know that Babe Ruth spent his childhood in an orphanage and reformatory—and that baseball was introduced to him by monks? This narrative biography explores the early life and influences that shaped an athletic boy into an American sports hero.

Genres: Biography, History, Sports, Childrens, Nonfiction, Baseball, Chapter Books

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

Reviews

[Trevor M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of my book is "Babe Ruth" by "Guernsey Van Riper, Jr" and the book is a biography and published in 1952. The book to me was good because it showed that not everyone famous had a perfect life. Some character traits George (Babe) had in him were temper mental , caring, shy, and mean. One of the big problems in this story is George is not a good kid and after the store got ruined by him he felt bad and his parents sent him to school, and when he got there he didn't have any friends or know anyone. But not even George knew he was really good at baseball which led him to making some good friends and a enemy named Rod. "George! Everything in the restaurant will be ruined!" Also, "He stood in the bare office looking at the man at the desk." Both of those citations prove that he went to school because he was in the office and that the restaurant got ruined by George. I strongly think that if you can get your hands on this book to read it. I only gave it 4 stars because i don't like nonfiction but this book was great!!!

[Conwaym]

I chose this book because i like to play baseballl and its fun to read about.The book took place in New york city thats where Babe Ruth lived.The main character in the book is Babe Ruth.There not really a plot to the book its just about Babe Ruth and how he became so good at baseball and stuff like that.In the book Babe Ruth had to go through alot of problem in his life. First his mom was always sick and his dad had to work all the time so no one ever watched him and made sure he went to school.But when his parents make him go to school,its a school where you live at so his parents didnt see him that much when he was a kid.At that school is were he started to play baseball and become good at it.That is mostly what the book is about.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this biography about Babe Ruth to Aiden. I'm not much of a baseball fan, so I wasn't familiar with Babe Ruth's story. It was a very inspiring story about how a troubled, poor young boy who was able to turn his life around with his love of baseball and a structured upbringing in the orphanage. In the story, Babe mentions how much he hopes to make his parents proud of him. I was disappointed that the author didn't mention Babe's parents' reaction when he became a professional baseball player.

[Wendy Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This biography is so poorly written that it should be taken off the shelves. This entire series of biographies is outdated and in need of weeding. The historical figures speak as if in their own historical fiction story. Gee whiz language and bad plot lines make this practically useless for learning valuable, biographical information about Babe Ruth or anyone else this series covers.

Please do not waste your time with these biographies.

[Cedrik Vb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood of famous Americans Babe Ruth

This biography of baseball player Babe Ruth’s childhood, was fabulous, it told of what Babes early childhood was like, his time at St Mary's reform school, and a few clips of his baseball career.

The book was , oh, 95% nonfiction because it had some true moments of Babe's life, , but the dialogue, most of it , is not realistic, but still, a book that was hard to put down.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in elementary school. Fortunately, the local library had a large set of books in the Childhood Biography series. What makes this book more interesting than other biographies of Babe Ruth is the concentration on his childhood. The book is 192 pages and the first mention of his actions as a major league player is not until page 160.
The focus on the childhood of George Ruth makes this a very attractive book for children, independent of whether they are into baseball or not. Ruth is depicted as a typical troubled child getting into the kind of difficulties that unsupervised children are prone to encounter. In so many ways, this makes it much easier to relate to Ruth. Many boys will read this book and conclude that as a child, Ruth was just like them.
Although this book was published in 1959, it has worn well over the years. Sixty years later, boys are still boys and without parental supervision, they will get into mischief. Ruth is another example of a boy in trouble that manages to find his passion and become a transformative figure in that field.

[MAGDALENA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hi ,my name is Evan, I am 10 years old and in the fourth grade. I picked out this book at school because I love the game of baseball.I think other kids would enjoy this book because they will learn about the baseball legend and how he grew up. When Babe Ruth was younger he was a troublemaker so his parents sent him to boarding school. Even though Babe Ruth was lonely he still continued to follow his dream of being a star baseball player. I recommend this book for children.

[Sarah Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has many excellent books in it, and this was a good one. Written on about a 3rd grade level, this book is a great lesson on overcoming adversity and recognizing one’s own character flaws.

[Catherine Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at least twice as a kid. Definitely one of my favorite biographies back then.

[Stasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shamelessly still adore these books. 💜

[Troy Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book and it told me some things I did not know about Babe Ruth before reading this book and to me it was over all a good book.

[Diego Olvera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good. One of the things I liked is that how the author made this book really realistic. Another thing that I liked was how this book made You actually care about the characters even dough they were made up. The next thing that I liked was how the author made the book really realistic if I closed my eyes and imagined it in my head I would see it with out a problem. Another thing that I like was that how this book made a saying that I found and it was no matter what you're emotions and rich or poor you can go from having nothing to having fame and fortune and many records that will stay forever in your life forever. Also I liked how the author made this book really good by using interesting words and not old words that are simple. The next thing that I liked was that how the author made this book so that this can show you how you need friendship to get far like Babe Ruth had Johnny, Mario, and Rod witch helped him on his way to fame. The next thing that I liked was how this book was made to show you that you need help and friendship to help you on your path to fame.

[Cole Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good, not great, but it was good. It skips around Babe Ruth's life from childhood until death. The book skips around far periods of time sometimes. I wish the author would've added more excitement into the book, sometimes I felt like it was dry. I did however, find myself wanting to learn more about Babe Ruth after reading this book. Overall I thought this was a good book and I would encourage others to read it.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read Becoming Babe Ruth to my students, I was personally interested in reading more about the baseball great. This was a good next book, though I wish I'd read it earlier, it provides more background as to why Ruth's parents left him at St. Mary's School for Boys. I think between the two, I now want to keep reading about him- he seems rather fascinating.

[Melissa Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells all about Babe Ruth starting with his childhood and so on. I think this is a great book for kids to read because the words are big and there a pictures in it. Most chapter books do not have pictures, so I think young readers will enjoy them.

[Bethann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to help students get interested in reading. It is a story of Babe Ruth's life and it is a simple read. Students should not have a hard time reading this book.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know that Babe Ruth grew up in a boy's school. Quick read, good for kids. Definitely glossed over 'the excesses' of his later years.

[Andrew]

November 18, 2012 - 45 minutes

[Elijah Sierks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book

[Johannes Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Own.Love Childhood books!

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good, I can really see how he felt after each milestone of his life

[Mellanie C]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14443607