Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice - Hardcover

Reich, Susanna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802738125 ISBN 13: 9780802738127

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2017

Synopsis

Inspired by the rhythms of American folk music, this moving account of Pete Seeger's life celebrates his legacy, showing kids of every generation that no cause is too small and no obstacle too large if, together, you stand up and sing!

Pete Seeger was born with music in his bones. Coming of age during the Great Depression, Pete saw poverty and adversity that would forever shape his worldview, but it wasn't until he received his first banjo that he found his way to change the world. It was plucking banjo strings and singing folk songs that showed Pete how music had the incredible power to bring people together.

Using this gift throughout his life, Pete encouraged others to rally behind causes that mattered--fighting for Civil Rights, ending the Vietnam War, or cleaning up the Hudson River. For Pete, no challenge was too great, and what started out as a love for music turned into a lifetime of activism and change. His greatest talent--and greatest passion--would become an unforgettable part of American history.

About this title

About the Author

Susanna Reich is the award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction books that have received many starred reviews and honors, such as Four Fab Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles and Minette's Feast:The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat. She lives in Ossining, NY, with her husband, children's book author, Gary Golio.
www.susannareich.com

Adam Gustavson is the illustrator of over twenty books for children, including the Sydney Taylor Honor winner, The Yankee at the Seder; Rock 'n' Roll Highway, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and a CBC Children's Choices Award winner; and Amelia Bloomer Award winner, Rough, Tough Charley. Adam holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and teaches at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.
www.adamgustavson.com.

From School Library Journal

Gr 1–3—In a lifetime of music making, folksinger Pete Seeger (1919–2014) brought people together to sing for social justice. Reich's enthusiastic picture book biography opens with a glimpse of the singer inviting an audience to join in, as he did so often, perhaps most memorably at Barack Obama's first inauguration, in 2009. The author, a longtime admirer, then goes back to recap Seeger's childhood and then compresses a 70-year career into key highlights. Aimed at a younger audience than that of Anita Silvey's Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger, this volume does use a relatively wordy text to include the most important events. But understanding Seeger's life and work may require more background in political and social history than the young audience will bring to the story. The summary sometimes feels oversimplified, as when the House Un-American Activities Committee is referred to as "some congressmen." The effort to cover the particulars sometimes obscures Seeger's guiding principles, his strong commitment to social justice, and his sheer joy in bringing people together through singing. Gustavson's realistic art supports the admiring tone. On most spreads, the text and a relevant drawing stand opposite a painting; occasionally the art bleeds over, into, and behind the words. A foreword by fellow folksinger Peter Yarrow helps put Seeger's career into context. VERDICT Seeger's centennial is coming up soon. There will undoubtedly be more written about this principled man, but this selection is a solid introduction.—Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0802738125
• ISBN 13: 9780802738127
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Gustavson Adam