…But tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun. – The Beatles
As a baby boomer, I enjoy sharing my memories of growing up and the music that I enjoyed and still enjoy with children. They have a vague concept of a band named The Beatles, but few know anything about the “Fab Four” or their songs.
Two recent additions to our collection should intrigue intermediate and middle school readers. Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, illustrated by Adam Gustavson (Henry Holt) is a picture book biography and a fine introduction to the early lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The young men had much in common, growing up in Liverpool, England and finding escape in music.
A more sophisticated and more comprehensive title is How the Beatles Changed the World by Martin W. Sandler (Bloomsbury). There are many black and white and color photographs throughout the book that chronicles the rise of one of the most influential musical groups in history.
In recent years, publishers have featured many picture book biographies that bring to life historical characters that are unknown to today’s children. Two fine examples of these feature women of color who faced hardship and prejudice because of their race and gender. Both women had extraordinary talent.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison (Lee & Low) introduces young readers to Melba Doretta Liston (1926-1999). Melba’s story is so inspiring that it seems to be fiction. When she was seven, Melba wanted to sign up for music class at school. Music was already a part of her soul, as she listened to the radio and dreamed of rhythms. She convinced her mother to buy her a trombone at the traveling music store, and Melba went home and began to practice. Even though her arms were barely long enough, Melba taught herself how to play the large and difficult instrument. By the time she was eight, she played a solo on a local radio station. When Melba and her mother moved to Los Angeles, she played with a famous after-school music club, The Melodic Dots. Her talent continued to grow, and after high school, Melba wrote her own music and joined touring bands. When she traveled to perform in the South, as a person of color, Melba faced the prevailing conditions of racism. Band members were denied hotel rooms and couldn’t eat in restaurants. Undaunted, Melba kept performing, and by the 1950s, she and her music were in high demand by jazz musicians worldwide.
Josephine Baker (1906-1975) was a talented singer and dancer who also battled prejudice that was almost insurmountable. Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Chronicle) chronicles this amazing woman’s struggles in the United States and triumphs in France. Even though she became one of the highest paid performers on Broadway, Josephine played roles that fit a stereotype for performers of color. She was feted so widely in Europe that 20,000 mourners lined the streets of Paris for her funeral procession.
We cannot live alone… And the thing that made this moment possible for you and for me, has been brought about by many people whom we will never know.
Marian Anderson
On April 9, 1939, seventy-five years ago this week, Marian Anderson performed an outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Her concert was there because she was banned by the Daughters of the American Republic (DAR) from performing at Constitution Hall because of the color of her skin. There was a “white-artist-only” clause in the contracts presented by the DAR. While there was a segregated section for black audience members, only whites could appear on stage.
The news of Anderson’s situation became public, and Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the organization. However, the public outcry did not change the policy. The executive secretary of the NAACP, Walter White, proposed that Marian Anderson should perform at the Lincoln Memorial. Franklin Roosevelt assigned his Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes, to oversee the logistics of the concert. Few could have guessed that 75,000 people would attend the concert, and millions of Americans would listen to it on the radio.
Genius draws no color line. She has endowed Marian Anderson with such voice as lifts any individual above his fellows, as is a matter of exultant pride to any race.
Harold Ickes
The first song that Marian sang was “America”. In the third line, she changed the words, “of thee I sing”, and she replaced them with “to thee we sing”.
In 1942, Marian Anderson did receive an invitation from the DAR to perform at Constitution Hall. On January 7, 1943, she sang to an integrated audience at a benefit for the American Red Cross.
While much has been written about this event, there are two books that I highly recommend for our students. When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, 2002) is a sophisticated picture book biography. Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman (Clarion, 2004) is a title that I would suggest for grades 5 and up. Freedman included many photographs to support his work.
A plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. (When) asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off, I reply, “The Beatles did.”
– writer Kurt Vonnegut
Quote from The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny)
For those of us who were around when The Beatles first performed in the United States, it seems impossible to comprehend that happened 50 years ago. Beatlemania overtook the nation, and there was no looking back for Paul, George, John and Ringo.I remember watching The Fab Four with my extended family in 1964, during their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. All of our reactions were different as we watched the group perform; my grandparents were shocked, my mother and aunt sat quietly, but my uncle, my brother and I were enthralled.
Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer’s delightful picture book biography, The Beatles Were Fab (And They Were Funny), illustrated by Stacy Innerst (Harcourt, 2013), chronicles the rise of this influential group of musicians. A new world opened with their music.
Once again, two picture book biographies about the same person were released within months of each other by different authors and publishers. The subject of these two stellar creations is Florence Mills, a star of the Harlem Renaissance.
There are no known recordings of Florence’s voice, nor are there any films of her performances. Yet, this entertainer influenced talented musicians with her talent and spirit. Duke Ellington’s composition, “Black Beauty”, is a tribute to her.
Florence began performing at a very young age for pleasure, and it was a bonus that the money she made helped to support her financially struggling family. Through her dedication and work ethic, she honed her musical skills and became much sought after as a performer. Despite the injustices of segregation, Florence went on to gain international success. When she died in 1927, at the age of 31, five thousand people were in the church and thousands stood outside to pay tribute to this remarkable woman. Baby Flo is still remembered as “Harlem’s Little Blackbird”.
(Image from www.wikipedia.org)
Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills
Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage by Alan Schroeder, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu (Lee & Low, 2012)
A picture book that we recently added to our school library collection is Passing the Music Down by Sarah Sullivan, illustrated by Barry Root (Candlewick Press, 2010). I read the story and admired the watercolor and gouache illustrations. It is a gentle tale of a young boy who travels with his parents to Appalachia to hear old-time fiddle players. The boy forms a friendship with an older fiddler, and he eventually moves to live near him and be mentored by him. The book became even more intriguing when I read the Author’s Note in the back of the book. She based her story on a true friendship, that of Melvin Wine (the old-time fiddler) and Jake Krack (the young boy).
On the endflap, Sarah Sullivan described Melvin Wine.
“There was something timeless about him, like the ancient sage who passes on essential knowledge to a chosen apprentice, not for pay but out of an abundant reverence for his art and an abiding love for the world.”
After reading this, I had to go on YouTube to find clips of both Melvin Wine and Jake Krack fiddling. What a pleasure to enjoy this charming book and then listen to the musicians!
Two recent additions to our collection should intrigue intermediate and middle school readers. Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles by Susanna Reich, illustrated by Adam Gustavson (Henry Holt) is a picture book biography and a fine introduction to the early lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The young men had much in common, growing up in Liverpool, England and finding escape in music.
A more sophisticated and more comprehensive title is How the Beatles Changed the World by Martin W. Sandler (Bloomsbury). There are many black and white and color photographs throughout the book that chronicles the rise of one of the most influential musical groups in history.
