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Author: Richard Michelson (website)
Illustrator: Zachary Pullen
Published: 2011
Pages: 32
Price: $11.86 at Amazon.com
(List price: $16.95)
Our rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Reviewed by Zachary O. Katz for Jewish Baseball News
Overview
Most people think that Babe Ruth was the first home run king. But he wasn’t. Instead, it was Lipman Pike, a Jewish baseball player who played in the mid-1800’s. In this book, you will learn how he made his way to fame as the “Iron Batter.”
What’s Jewish about it
Lipman “Lip” Pike was Jewish and from Brooklyn. Because of this, he was voted off his team, the Philadelphia Athletics. His teammates didn’t trust him to play against the Brooklyn team.
My take
I really liked this book, because it explained a connection between Jews and baseball that I didn’t know about. I also enjoyed it because it taught me what baseball was like in the mid-1800’s. You should read this book if you are a major baseball fan.
My Dad’s take
This beautifully illustrated children’s book tells the whimsical story of a young man who chooses to pursue a dream to play baseball, which was in its organizational infancy, rather than work in his father’s Brooklyn haberdashery. A folk hero of sorts, Lipman Pike apparently was just as famous in his day for outrunning racehorses as he was for hitting home runs. Although this book is intended for younger children, baseball fans of all ages will enjoy the story of this little-known slugger, his successes on the field, and his struggles against anti-Semitism as he blazed a trail in the fledgling sport that became America’s pastime.
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Zachary Katz recently completed 5th Grade at Ezra Academy in Woodbridge, CT. He is the son of fellow reviewer Stuart M. Katz.
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