Write On, Irving Berlin! - Hardcover

Kimmelman, Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585363804 ISBN 13: 9781585363803

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2018

Synopsis

2019 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Younger Readers 2018 Eureka! California Reading Association Honor Book Award Escaping persecution for being Jewish, the Baline family fled Russia and arrived by ship in New York City harbor in September 1893. Little Israel Isidore Baline is only five years old. After arriving at Ellis Island, the first stop for all immigrants, Israel and his family are ready to begin a new life in America. His family settles in the Lower East Side and soon Israel (now nicknamed Izzy) starts school. And while he learns English, he is not a very good student. According to his teachers he daydreams and sings in class. But while these may not be traits that are helpful in the classroom, these are wonderful tools for a budding singer and composer. And by the time that Izzy (now known as Irving) is a young man, he is well on his way to becoming one of the most well-known composers in America. This vivid picture-book biography examines the life of Irving Berlin, the distinguished artist whose songs, including "God Bless America," continue to be popular today.

About this title

Review

2019 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Younger Readers

Irving Berlin, born in 1888, was just a child when his family and so many others fled terror directed at Jews in czarist Russia for New York City's Lower East Side. It was during World War II that he "took out and polished up a song he'd written long ago." That song was "God Bless America," which is still sung and loved albeit over the initial protests of those who were not pleased that a Jewish immigrant was the composer and lyricist. "White Christmas," written during World War II, was also immediately taken to heart despite the same racist, nativist objections. More success and many more great and still popular songs followed. Gardner's illustrations are colorful and soft-textured, displaying many smiling faces of Berlin as he ages. Musical notes swirl through the pages. Heartwarming Americana. -Kirkus Review Kimmelman portrays the life of Irving Berlin, born Israel Isidore Baline to a Jewish family in Russia in 1888 a bad time and place to be Jewish, the author writes. The story begins as the family arrives at New York s Ellis Island. Gardner's spreads alternate between bright and crisp scenes of Berlin writing and playing music and more expressive tableaus that show texture and emotion through blurred colors and residual pencil lines. Kimmelman emphasizes Berlin s devotion to music through a leitmotif: Nothing stopped Irving from writing songs. Not his new love, Ellin.... Nothing stopped Irving from writing. Not World War II. Kimmelman focuses on Berlin s love for his adopted country, as expressed through the song God Bless America, and notes his progressive leanings, including performing for integrated audiences of soldiers during the war. A quiet conclusion shows an elderly Berlin gazing at the Statue of Liberty ( He died when he was 101 years old, 96 years after he'd first stepped onto the shores of his beloved United States ). Ages 6 10. --Publisher's Weekly

A feel-good biographical look at a great songwriter. Israel Baline arrived on Ellis Island as a small boy fleeing the violence of Russian pogroms. But in the freedom of New York s Lower East Side, he blossomed into Irving Berlin. From his first song (sold for 37 cents) to iconic hits like God Bless America and White Christmas, the irrepressible Berlin used his music to express his love for his adopted homeland. Readers will enjoy following the tale of a young person who uses his talent to reinvent himself. Warm and evocative watercolor illustrations create an appropriate atmosphere for this friendly giant of music. Unless readers are familiar with Berlin s most famous song, the occasional declarations of God Bless America! throughout may seem unexpected and out of place, but ultimately they reinforce the musician s legacy. The author s note includes additional informational tidbits, but the list of further reading is somewhat dated; the most recent book is published in 2003. VERDICT A good addition to biography collections that are short on musicians. --School Library Journal

Booklist - May 15, 2018 Issue Irving Berlin gets the full picture-book treatment in this appealing introduction to the songwriter. Berlin's story begins as the five-year-old arrives in the United States in 1893 along with his family, fleeing the Russian pogroms. Left fatherless at 13, he makes money by singing and making up tunes, eventually writing the smash hit, Alexander s Ragtime Band. Kimmelman does a fine job of touching on both Berlin's professional and personal lives and doesn't shy away from mentioning that not everyone liked the fact that a Jewish immigrant was writing America's most beloved songs, like White Christmas. Her text is long in spots, but readers will come away with a sense of the man and what his music meant to America, especially in times of war. Gardner's artwork, which captures Berlin's exuberance, is displayed nicely on oversize pages. The mostly realistic style is softened on some spreads that are executed in chalks, giving the art the gauzy feel of memory. A fine mix of music and the immigrant experience. --Booklist

About this edition

• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1585363804
• ISBN 13: 9781585363803
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Gardner David C.