Change Sings: A Children's Anthem

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THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD was always one of my favorites, as was THE POKY LITTLE PUPPY, THE STORY OF FERDINAND and Virginia Lee Burton’s books. Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as "The Black National Anthem," was a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson. She is a young guitarist, her guitar looking almost too big for her as she plays sat cross legged on the floor. From the first page, where we meet the young girl with her guitar, centre stage on a white page and she announces “I can hear change humming/ In its loudest, proudest song. A lovely book helping children to navigate their feelings and emotions - both positive and negative - as well as gently discussing mental health issues.

Publication dates are subject to change (although this is an extremely uncommon occurrence overall).

I have always been a huge fan of the the American School painters of the 1920s and '30s and I was particularly inspired by Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. That being said, there are lots of beautiful illustrations the children can look at while you are reading to them, and lots of things for them to look at. Amanda Gorman's first children's book continues to show her prowess as a poet -- it's a great example of how rhythm and rhyme should be done in a picture book (because IMO, if you can't rhyme well, don't do it at all). In January 2021, she became the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration, reading her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration of Joe Biden.

The book starts with a young girl, who can hear change humming, and who decides to sing along with it. Amanda Gorman's 'Change Sings' is sure to delight both readers and nonreaders alike for generations to come.They learn that they have the power to make changes - big or small - in the world, in their communities, and most importantly, in themselves. This experience has been fantastic primarily for the children, the school and also for me (professionally).