Before reading his book I had never heard of Marian Anderson before. After reading this book I found myself researching just a little more about her. How she looked in real life. What was her actual Birthdate just anything. Keep on singing gave me many facts about who Marian was in a very creative way. I enjoyed this book. ( )

Summary:
Marian Anderson is an African American three-year-old girl who has a very talented voice. She begins singing in her church choir and hopes to go to an all-girls school for music but unfortunately is not accepted because of her color. During this time period, there was much racism and this made it very hard for Marian to succeed in a music carrier. Through much help from others, she was able to overcome many barrier and ended up singing for kings and queens, in front of the Lincoln Monument and many other places.

Personal Reflection:
The book made me see how younger students can read about racism. I found that while Marian’s story is a very sad one, the readers are able to put in perspective what it would have looked like to be in these people’s shoes.

Extension Ideas:
1. Have the students write down on paper times where they’ve felt unwelcomed or unaccepted. Invite the students to share their experiences. Tie the student’s stories into Marians and how they relate. Show the kids how racism isn’t good and every person had value, no matter their color.
2. The students can do a talent show and share the gifts they have. Marian had the gift of singing and pursued music.

Miriam Anderson grew up in Philadelphia and began singing in church when she was three. This book talks about her struggles as an African American woman trying to get into music schools and concert halls. She was often turned away. However, she did not give up on her dream. She took formal music lessons and her voice was so spectacular it brought her teacher to tears. She won music competitions and even traveled to Europe to sing for queens and kings. Despite these accomplishments she still "often met Jim Crow" when she toured. She wasn't allowed to sing in Constitution Hall on Easter Sunday so instead, she sang in front of the Lincoln Memorial. She broke through barriers and aimed to be a symbol for young singers who came after her. This book is written in chunks of four rhyming lines which adds to the musical nature of the book. The lines in italics are taken directly from Anderson's autobiography. The author's notes includes clarification on her date of birth and other people mentioned in the book. ( )

This is a great poetry book about the true story of the singer Marian Anderson’s life. This book addresses how Marian had to overcome discrimination and racism in order to become the successful singer she is known as today. The book begins with Marian’s childhood and how she began singing in church and as she got older she wanted to apply to an art school. Unfortunately, they would not accept her because of the color of her skin. This just starts us off with all of the hardships she had to face, and how she overcame them and became the first African American Women to attend the Met Gala, meet the queen, and do so much in life. I think this book would be great for children because it addresses an important figure’s actual life events; while writing it in an easy read poetry form for children. This would also be great as a social studies activity to teach students about history at this time. ( )

This book flowed very well and even though it was written as a poem, it was still very informational. Marian Anderson kept singing despite resistance due to her race and left listeners speechless with her voice. ( )