English 4+ Poetry Social Change Empowerment Music Amanda Gorman & Loren Long summary Change Sings joined the bookshelf ranks yesterday, and woah buddy it’s incredible. Amanda Gorman graced the inaugural stage and blew all of our minds with her powerful words, and she’s here to do it again with her picture book. Filled with hope…
Tag: music
Tune it Out
Written By: Jamie Sumner Cover Art by: Celia Krampien For Ages: 10 and up Language: English Topics Covered: Homelessness, Growing Up, Sensory Processing Disorder, Moving, Family, Temporary Custody, Anxiety, Singing, Music, Performance, Poverty. Summary: Lou Montgomery lives with her mother in their pickup truck in a lot of different places. Right now, however, they live…
Let Freedom Sing
Written & Illustrated by: Vanessa Brantley Newton For ages: 4-8 years Language: English Topics Covered: History, Modern Black Freedom Struggle, Activism, Music, Black Culture & Identity, Own Voices. Summary: The majority of this book’s words are lyrics to the song “This Little Light of Mine” which was an integral part to the Civil Rights Movement, also known as the…
Black Music Greats: 40 inspiring icons
Written by: Olivier Cachin Illustrated by: Jérôme Masi For ages: Middle Grades, ages 8 and up Language: English Topics Covered: Black Culture & Identity, Music, History, American History, Trailblazers, Women in Music, Non-Fiction. Summary: This is a beautiful and amazing book that takes the reader on a winding journey of music history! The layout of the book makes it easy to…
Little People Big Dreams: Ella Fitzgerald
Written by: Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara Illustrated by: Bàrbara Alca For ages: 4-7 years Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Figures, Women in Music, Musicians, Trailblazers, Biography, Black Culture & Identity. Summary: Ella was a young girl fascinated with performing and music. When she was 15, her mother died and radically changed her life. Running away from a reform school,…
Little People Big Dreams: Dolly Parton
Written by: Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara Illustrated by: Daria Solak For ages: 4 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Historical Figure, Musical Artist, Women in Music, Biography, Philanthropy, Feminist. Summary: Dolly Parton is a human that we do not deserve, she is such a gem! This book follows the story of her life for a young reader, from a young girl…
The Birth of Cool; How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound
Written by: Kathleen Cornell Berman Illustrated by: Keith Henry Brown For ages: second grade and up Language: English Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Historical Figure, Musician, Trailblazer. Summary: This beautifully illustrated picture book and it’s accompanying poem are an incredible testament to a legendary musician, but does not cover much about his personal life and the darker parts of his story…
Q&A with Alastair Moock!
Happy Saturday! Our Week of Music is continuing to rock, and we’ve boogied through a whole week already! Luckily, we have one more special music-related book to review for tomorrow. But, let’s focus on today! Yesterday we learned a bit about Alastair’s music, so today we’ll learn about him! Hope everyone is having a great…
Alastair Moock-Social justice music for children!
For ages: any age can groove to Alastair’s tunes Language: English Topics Covered: social justice, racism, white supremacy, feminism, education, self-expression, identity, freedom, and self-acceptance. Summary: Today we share an artist whose quirky, thoughtful lyrics spice up the children’s music that he makes. The well-established genre is refreshed by Alastair Moock’s rambunctious, rootsy rhythms. While Moock is working up a new album titled “Be…
Q&A with Ants on a Log
Ants on a Log You all learned about the album Curious yesterday, so now it’s time to learn a little bit more about the minds behind Ants on a Log! Julie and Anya have a multitude of activities, interests, and creative passions. We feel lucky to have been able to catch up with them and bring you…