A lushly illustrated love letter to Babe Ruth and America’s pastime.
Bennett’s illustrated children’s book details the events of April 18, 1923, when the New York Yankees played their first game in their newly built stadium in the Bronx.
It’s opening day at Yankee Stadium, and Babe Ruth and the rest of the team prepare to take the field against the Boston Red Sox for the very first game at their new home; formerly, the team played at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. Each of Covelli’s illustrations is a full-color two-page spread, with a few lines of story narrating the action: “Two strikes down, bat cocked, Babe waits. Watches and waits.” The central narrative of the first game at Yankee Stadium is a bit sparse, but the real draw is the additional information. Dense text boxes on the sides of each two-page spread frame the story, and they’re full of information about baseball history, including that telegraph workers used to tap out the play-by-play in Morse code and that Cracker Jacks were advertised on baseball scorecards in the 19th century. Even the most enthusiastic baseball enthusiasts may not know all the delightful facts Bennett throws their way, such as that 1860 was the first year when players wore baseball caps instead of straw hats. The author also includes biographical information about Ruth—his childhood, his various nicknames, and his professional accomplishments—and occasional black-and-white photos. The legendary home run slugger is obviously the star of this story, but Bennett makes sure to recognize all the other people who made a professional baseball game run smoothly: “This is the crew who chalk the field. These are the hands that ready the stands. These are the keepers who post the score. Here come the boys to stack the bats and shag the balls that first game in the House that Ruth Built.” Covelli’s ornate illustrations, spread over two pages, have a classic style reminiscent of Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express (1985). Warm, muted tableaux feature delightful pops of vivid color, as in an image of celebratory confetti raining down on the crowd.
A lushly illustrated love letter to Babe Ruth and America’s pastime.Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781641707541
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Familius
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Memorable art earns this biography a respectable place on the shelf.
George Washington Carver tended a secret garden of flowers before becoming known for his skill in agriculture.
The book opens in 1921 as Carver addresses the U.S. Congress, astounding them with dozens of uses for the peanut. The narration then takes readers back to Carver’s childhood to discover how he reached that career highlight. As a child, he loved flowers, but he was warned not to waste time on plants that couldn’t be eaten or sold, so he kept his colorful garden hidden in the woods. Shut out of schools because he was black, he studied nature independently and learned through experimentation. Eventually, he started caring for neighbors’ sick plants, becoming known as “the Plant Doctor.” At 12, he left the farm on which he was raised and attained a formal education, after which he taught students at the Tuskegee Institute and farmers with a mobile classroom mounted on a wagon. This journey through Carver’s childhood and accomplishments ends with Carver’s simple but memorable words, “Regard Nature. Revere Nature. Respect Nature.” The substantial text holds readers on each spread long enough to appreciate not only the subject matter of the painted illustrations, but Morrison’s artistic techniques—strong strokes and careful dots, artful combinations of textures and shapes—which create lush forest scenes and portraitlike human faces and forms. The childhood story feels more cohesive than the final pages, which list his adult accomplishments but lack the narrative thread.
Memorable art earns this biography a respectable place on the shelf. (timeline, bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-243015-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
