November 1, 2018
Gr 2-5-The author, who is the granddaughter of the titular figure, recounts the story her father used to tell her about how "Grandpa Paul" stopped a war with his singing. The author includes Paul Robeson's early beginnings as a singer and the inspiration and history behind the spirituals he loved to sing before seguing to the Spanish Civil War and ending with Robeson facing the front lines of battle. The narrative emphasizes the importance of individual action ("each of us must do our part to bring peace into the world"). Brown's bright, rich colors, painted with texture, bring readers on an emotional journey, from crowds of concert-goers to destroyed towns in Spain. The book also features additional information on the Spanish Civil War, Eslanda Robeson, and Republican Captain Fernando Castillo. While the overall story features a few snapshots of major events in Robeson's life, the back matter provides readers with a stronger connection to those happenings. VERDICT A great purchase for picture book biography collections.-Molly Dettmann, Norman North High School, OK
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2018
Written by his granddaughter, this biography tells a little-known story of an African-American vocalist who used music to unify people abroad when segregation still ruled in the U.S.The son of a fugitive slave, Robeson came by his activism earnestly, and prior to his involvement in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, he held concerts to raise funds and gather donations for children and families impacted by the conflict. At the height of the war, Robeson insisted that Capt. Fernando Castillo, his guide, take him to the front lines, where he sang for both sides, temporarily stopping the fighting. Brown's deeply saturated, highly textured illustrations effectively capture the dangers Robeson encountered to try to bring peace to war-torn Spain and his confidence in his ability to make a difference where others considered his attempts at intervention foolhardy and unnecessarily risky. Readers might wonder how Robeson thought a black American could unite a country where he was both a minority and an outsider, but when they see the photograph of Robeson with his multiracial, international family and learn that he spoke and sang in over 15 different languages, it seems clear that Robeson lived multiculturalism; hence, traveling around the world spreading peace through music to bring people together came naturally to him.A story worth hearing about a cause worth fighting. (Informational picture book. 4-10)
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December 1, 2018
Grades K-3 Renowned African American singer Paul Robeson and his family lived in London during the Spanish Civil War. Disturbed by reports of homeless families in that country, he gave concerts and sent money, food, and clothing to help Spanish children. Later, he traveled to Madrid. The city was bombed that night, but he led all who were huddled in his dark hotel to sing together. He visited the front, where he sang African American spirituals and songs of freedom with such feeling that soldiers on both sides were moved. "While Grandpa Paul sang, there was peace." Susan Robeson, the singer's granddaughter and a documentary filmmaker, retells a family story simply and effectively, and leaves it to listeners to reflect on implicit messages about war, peace, and the power of one gifted, brave, compassionate person to help others. In an appended author's note, she fills in historical details. Brown contributes a series of strong, well-composed paintings using deep, rich colors that capture the book's emotional undertones effectively.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)