Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Lou Gehrig: A Life of Dedication
Nonfiction
For ages 5 to 7
Lerner Publishing Group, 2008 ISBN: 978-0822585879
Lou Gehrig was born in New York City on June 18, 1903. His family, like so many others in the great city, was poor and Lou helped his mother with her laundry service job. He was the one who picked up the dirty clothes and returned the clean laundry. Like so many other children, Lou loved baseball. He played it in the streets with his friends and when he was in high school he was on the school baseball team. He did so well that when he was in college he was invited to play with the New York Yankees.
At first Lou had a hard time making his mark with the team but he worked hard and soon got a reputation for being an excellent hitter, and a reliable team-mate. Thanks in part to his home runs, the Yankees won six World Series. Lou's most outstanding record perhaps is the fact that between 1925 and 1939 he played in 2,130 games. His record held until 1995 when Cal Ripken Jr. broke it.
Unfortunately in 1939 Lou got sick. He benched himself when he felt that could not perform well enough, ending his extraordinary record of consecutive games. Lou never played baseball again after that. Later he was diagnosed with ALS, and in 1941 he died from the disease.
Today Lou Gehrig is remembered with much affection and admiration by baseball fans of all ages.
This little book will give young readers an excellent introduction to the life and career of one of baseball's most famous players. Lou Gehrig serves as a role model to ball players, and other sportsmen and women, to this day. Written with the young reader in mind, this book is full of annotated period photographs. It is one of the titles in the "Pull Ahead" biographies series.
