Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King

In the mid 1800s the sport of baseball was working its wayacross the United States. Amateur teams were springing upand in 1858 the National Association of Base Ball Playerswas formed. Young men were eager to show their prowesson the field and in the ... Read more

In the mid 1800s the sport of baseball was working its wayacross the United States. Amateur teams were springing upand in 1858 the National Association of Base Ball Playerswas formed. Young men were eager to show their prowesson the field and in the batter''s box.Lipman Pike''s father, a Dutch immigrant, runs a smallhaberdashery in Brooklyn, New York, though Lip is moreinterested in watching the ball players than workingbehind the counter. His mother doesn''t approve -- Jewishboys should be paying attention to more sensible matters.But when Lip is barely a teenager, he''s invited to join theNationals Junior Club and play first base. When he hits hisfirst pitch over the right fielder''s head, Lip knows baseballis the sport for him.Award-winning author Richard Michelson chronicles themeteoric rise of one of baseball''s earliest (and unsung)champions.Richard Michelson''s poetry and children''s books have been listed amongthe year''s best books by The New Yorker, the New York Public Library,and the Jewish Book Council. His A is for Abraham: A Jewish Alphabetwon the 2009 Sydney Taylor Award Silver Medal. He lives in Amherst,Massachusetts.Zachary Pullen''s picture-book illustrations have won awards andgarnered starred reviews. He has been honored several times withacceptance into the prestigious Society of Illustrators juried showsand Communication Arts Illustration Annual of the best in currentillustration. Zak lives in Wyoming. Less