The Baseball Card

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

A young boy’s father takes him to a baseball game at Yankee Stadium
for a birthday treat. Between innings Dad tells him a story about his
favourite baseball player, Babe Ruth, and a very special baseball card.

When Dad was young, he, like all his friends, loved to collect baseball
cards. One day he was challenged to a winner-take-all,
closest-to-the-wall card-tossing game by Louie “The Lip”
Lippenhammer. Afraid to refuse for fear of being ridiculed, but with a
heavy heart, Dad agreed. Before long Louie had all the cards but one: a
Babe Ruth card given to him by his father.

With great trepidation Dad flicked the treasured card, expecting to
lose it, too. But, lo and behold, there was the Babe Ruth card, leaning
against the wall, and it seemed that the Babe had tipped his cap at him!
As might be expected, it’s not long before Dad, with the help of the
Babe Ruth card, has defeated Louie, winning back all his own cards, and
Louie’s, too.

Home again after an exciting day, Dad has one more birthday surprise
for his son: the precious Babe Ruth card. After his father says
goodnight, unable to resist, the boy flicks the card. It lands, leaning
against the wall. When he bends down to pick it up, he could almost
swear that the Babe has tipped his cap at him, too.

Though the story tends to be rather predictable, young sports fans will
undoubtedly enjoy this fanciful tale about the greatest slugger of all
time. Laura Watson’s colourful, comical illustrations complement the
story perfectly. Recommended.