This review may seem a bit long to you. I wanted to consider the text and illustrations for a more complete sense of the book. (I left plenty out for you to discover when you buy your own copy.) Thanks for taking the time to read this!
If you count yourself as being one who finds it impossible to think of spring without thinking of baseball, then you’ll enjoy reading Lipman Pike – America’s First Home Run King (written by Richard Michelson and illustrated by Zachary Pullen). Lipman Pikes’ rise to early baseball fame is traced with an engaging and informative text along with colorful illustrations depicting baseball when it was simply called “base”. Lip is the son of a Dutch immigrant, and readers meet him as a restless boy growing up in Brooklyn during the early 1800′s. He learns how to play by watching the adults in the neighborhood enjoy the game. With the support of his brother (Boaz), and the eventual approval of his parents, Lip accepts an opportunity to play in his first official amateur match. During that contest, he hits the ball over the right fielder’s head, and his love of the game grows. He later accepts an offer from a Pennsylvania team, The Athletics, to play for $20/week – making him the first professional baseball player in America. As his career progressed, he earned a reputation as a home run king by frequently leading his league in runs. Lip lived for only 48 years. He died of heart disease in 1893. He was remembered by friends and associates for his astonishing athletic ability and for offering “good manners”, honest prices”, and “fast service”, in matters of business.
The chronology of Lip’s baseball accomplishments, however, is not the only engaging aspect of this book. Some of the social challenges he faces as his career progresses are revealed as well. After joining the Athletics, for example, Lip helps the team win. Some club members, however, fear that because Lip is a Jew from Brooklyn, they can’t trust him in a future game against Brooklyn. Some are also uncomfortable with rumors that Lip is being paid to play (while others are not), and he is voted off the team. Lip decides to keep his focus on opportunities to play. He eventually becomes (with the indirect help of a politician named Boss Tweed) the captain of a professional team called the Troy Haymakers. Once again, the experience of rejection arises when the people in Troy talk about mistrusting Lip because he is a Jew from Brooklyn. Lip pushes onward – and – for the second time in his life – he helps a hostile team win. These challenges don’t discourage Lip, and his persistence allows his abilities as a genuine athlete to shine. Before he retired in 1881 to open a haberdashery in Brooklyn, he earned the nickname the “Iron Batter” when he hit one ball 360 feet with sufficient force to bend a metal rod atop a tall pagoda in the center field. Prior to that, he outran a trotting horse in a 100-yard sprint in Baltimore. (People even paid to watch him race against the horse).
His story is complimented by colorful illustrations that help readers visualize the 1800′s. Several pages have small drawings depicting items from daily life (e.g., a train, a paper newspaper, a leather baseball, wooden bats, and an early field). The artwork helps remind all that there was a time when there were fewer than 20 clubs in America, and that the “field” was once little more than an area of rough-mown grass. In addition, interesting facts about early baseball are included in the author’s note, and they help bring the humble beginnings of the game to light.
Although the story of Lip’s career and baseball’s rise in popularity are important (and exciting) aspects of this book, Lipman’s need to cope with resentment from other players is also noteworthy. By sharing his encounters with (and his reaction to) social difficulties – along with reports of his astonishing athletic ability – Michelson and Pullen help us remember the unique perspective of an amazing Jewish athlete who was the first professional baseball player in America. Lipman Pike – America’s First Home Run King is an informative, important, and exciting read. I recommend it.