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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J 921 ODETTA | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
She was a beautiful girl who plunged head-first into the world with a song to sing. Born in Birmingham, this child soon learned to make a whole heap of noise on her auntie's piano. Then she discovered her own instrument-a voice full of brass and thunder! And, oh, did she have a song to sing-spirituals, gospels, work songs. She sang joy. She sang sorrow and struggle. She sang triumph. Her songs told stories of America's history. And, with the help of Baby, her guitar, Odetta blazed a musical trail that served as the roadmap for many folksingers who followed in her footsteps. Presented with luminous paintings and a poetic narrative, the life and times of folk music's queen, will leave readers strumming.
Author Notes
Stephen Alcorn, both an author and illustrator, has been a devoted admirer of Odetta since childhood; her vibrant and remarkable musical style profoundly influenced the writing and illustration for this book. Mr. Alcorn is the illustrator of several books for young people, including the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Upon developing a long-lasting friendship with Odetta, Mr. Alcorn wrote this book her honor to show the world her role in the revival of American folm music. Mr. Alcorn lives in Cambridge, New York.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Through stunning illustrations and text, Alcorn pays tribute to the incomparable folksinger. When Odetta was born in 1930 in Birmingham, AL, the Deep South was enmeshed in Jim Crow laws. Music offered solace: "Spirituals, gospel, prison, and work songs: the cup of soup Odetta grew up on!" Alcorn's eye-catching paintings boldly blend iconic and folk elements. As a shocked Odetta watches, a water fountain's torrent of frothy letters spells out "Whites Only." Odetta's musical hero was Marian Anderson; Alcorn depicts her soaring with the sparrows in flowing angels' robes, pearls, and multicolored wings. Odetta's family found welcome in Los Angeles, where her talents came of age: "The way Odetta sang, not even Jim Crow could tell her no!" Alcorn's prose is spirited and playful; as Odetta wins renown, her music unites people of all races. One brilliantly composed scene finds her amid a cotton field, her billowing sack teeming with birds she is waving aloft. An author's note lends context and perspective; additionally, there is a list of recommended recordings. This is a rousing introduction to a musical trailblazer.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Thornhill's poem pays powerful tribute to the folk-singing legend, beginning with early experiences that shaped her music ("Spirituals, gospel,/ prison, and work/ songs: the cup/ of soup Odetta/ grew up on!") and her first exposure to segregation when her family moved to Los Angeles. As Odetta grows older, she discovers her voice ("Odetta couldn't/ just sing, she/ could sang./ To sang is to sing/ like you need the music/ as much/ as birds/ need sky") and becomes a central figure in the civil rights movement. Filled with stars, candles, lightning bolts, music notes, and angels, Alcorn's rousing compositions borrow from folk art traditions, religious imagery, graphic design, and 1960s album cover art, creating a rich tapestry that trumpets the power of this singular figure. Ages 7-10. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Poem by Samantha Thornhill. Lyrical text follows the life of the African American singer, beginning with her humble Alabama childhood then describing her path toward becoming a folk music legend. Alcorn's beautifully swirling, vaguely psychedelic paintings in subdued hues are dynamic. An appended "Ode to Odetta" author's note tells more about the singer's lasting legacy. Recommended recordings are also included. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The ranks of picture-book musician biographies swell with each passing season, but rarely are they done with as much elegance as in this ode to the folk pioneer Odetta. The project conceived and illustrated by Alcorn and featuring verse by Thornhill incorporates into Odetta's childhood a story of intertwined musical inspirations backbreaking-work spirituals and chain-gang rhythms and themes of civil inequality that would inform her music. But it's not all serious tones Odetta was a raucous child who loved to drive her auntie mad banging away on a piano, and Thornhill's free verse opens into short, sharp lines that are a joy to read aloud: Odetta couldn't / just sing, she / could sang. / To sang is to sing / like you need the music / as much / as birds / need sky. Both in the text and in the quilted, flowing patterns of Alcorn's paintings, the bird serves as a dramatic metaphor, issuing doubly from Odetta's throat and a cage when she first begins to sing, soaring high as her family leaves the Jim Crow South for the haven of Los Angeles, and bursting in flocks from a pillowy cotton field as Odetta sows her songs across the world. Soulful and uplifting, this tribute introduces an important social activist who opened the eyes and delighted the ears of countless folk singers and music lovers, but will likely be a fresh subject for children.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
From Odetta Now, we may not all sing the same, but we can all sing along. Let's sing with the Queen of Folk, this wildly famous song: This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. Black keys and white keys singing TOGETHER to create HARMONIOUS sound! Excerpted from Odetta: The Queen of Folk by Stephen Alcorn All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
