Pam Muñoz Ryan

Ryan and Selznick (Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, 1999, etc.) reunite for another magical collaboration, this time presenting Marian Anderson to a young audience. Using the visual metaphor of an operatic presentation, the production opens on the Metropolitan Opera stage just before performance, followed by a spread in which the audience watches as the curtain rises and a street scene reveals a tiny figure singing in a brightly-lit window. The shape of the volume lends itself to the broad sweep of the stage and even the title page reads like the show’s program. Anderson’s story is perhaps not well known to younger children, but Ryan does a good job of making it accessible. In simply stated prose she acquaints young readers, who may be disbelieving, with a time of social injustice when a person of color could not pursue a professional career in concert music and it was an act of personal courage to sing before racially mixed audiences. Verses of Anderson’s most famous songs are included as they have meaningful application for events. The account includes the most notable episode in her life when, denied access to Washington’s Constitution Hall because of her race, Marian sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before a crowd of thousands—black and white. Selznick’s carefully researched, sepia-toned, acrylic illustrations dramatize Anderson’s strong, handsome face on most pages. That face is faithfully and powerfully rendered, eyes closed when singing, with an intense, almost sublime engagement in her music. The work culminates with another history-making moment when she realizes her dream and becomes the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Selznick depicts her in this spread standing triumphantly in the spotlight, a vivid spot of color in an otherwise monochromatic treatment. A lengthy “encore” includes personal details and history from both author and illustrator; an “ovation” cites resources. Perfectly paced and perfectly pitched, this never loses sight of the fact that Marian Anderson was both a world-class musician and a powerful symbol to her people. A bravura performance. (notable dates, discography) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

-Kirkus Review… (més)

Solimar, a mestiza princess in an olden Mexico kingdom, breaks the rules one day and crosses the creek to visit the migrating monarch butterflies, who bestow a gift of a magic upon her. Soliimar thinks she has enough troubles trying to negotiate this new power, but there's also trouble brewing with a neighboring kingdom that could lead to far worse consequences ...

This book has a beautiful cover and the author is an appeal with her numerous accolades for previous titles. I loved the idea of monarchs containing magic and really enjoyed that plotline as Solimar discovers the boundaries of what this means for her and others around her. The message of protecting nature and endangered species is there but without being overly didactic.

At one point, I thought to myself that this felt a bit like a Disney movie, with a teenaged princess (who has all the familial loyalty and innocence of a child and none of the snark of an actual teenager) and her faithful pet companion on the cusp of her coronation. A little after that I flipped back to the publication page and saw that it is a Disney property. That being said, Pam Munoz Ryan still writes with all her usual beauty, so this isn't the rubbish of a Disney movie plot poorly converted into a novel. However, it does bear some elements of a typical Disney story as the young princess is separated from her parents and must save the day with the help of a plucky, impoverished boy around her age.

Still, it was an enjoyable read overall. I did feel, however, that the climactic ending glossed over some key details. We're in the middle of a scene basically and then it skips to three days later, which was odd to me. I wish a little more had been explained here.

Besides the key message about environmentalism, there's also a minor subplot about Solimar wanting the kingdom to be more democratic and contain the council of both men and women. It's not much, but at least it's something.… (més)

*The Robert F Sibert Awards Honor Book*
This is a lovely story about Marian Anderson and the journey it took to get her, an African American Woman, to sing in front of THOUSANDS of people. The book is written so smoothly, much like her voice I imagine. Songs are mixed into the story to help describe her journey facing racism and bigotry in the United States and Europe. It's a beautiful story of how a woman stayed true to herself while wanting to sing with the very best operas. I found it humbling to read the journey and all the hurts she received by being told "no," due to her skin. She arrived back to the US from Europe in 1939 in the midst of a civil rights movement. Elenore Roosevelt was just one who came to her side in protest that she should be able to sing in Constitutional Hall. In the end, after the public marched, wrote to the newspapers, and formed committees to get her to sing she was granted permission to sing on the steps of Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. She silenced the 75,000 people crowd who came to listen to her. In the end, she was able to fulfil her dream of singing in an opera.… (més)