Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing - Hardcover

Gr 3–5—This inspiring picture book biography about one of America's greatest folk heroes is sure to get a new generation of children singing. Filled with Colón's signature illustrations, the book introduces young readers to Pete Seeger—the musician, political activist, and environmentalist, while also filling them with hope. A champion of unions, farmers, civil rights, children, and clean rivers, "Pete didn't care about fame or money. He cared about justice, peace, equality, and people everywhere." While the narrative focuses on his adult life, a detailed time line of his entire 94 years is included. Original and traditional songs, such as "Down by the Riverside," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "Abiyoyo," "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," "This Little Light of Mine," and "If I Had a Hammer," are highlighted in blue throughout the text, just begging to be heard and sung. The word listen is also repeated several times in the book. The watercolor and colored pencil art captures the joy of the singer and his audiences, old and young, as well as his country life along the Hudson River and his work leading protests. Susanna Reich's Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice is a longer, more inclusive biography, better suited for reports, while Schubert's offering is ideal for shared reading. VERDICT Buy this book and sing your heart out!—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools