Woody Guthrie
From AwardAnnals
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| Author(s) | Bonnie Christensen |
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| Subtitle | Poet of the People |
| Publisher | Knopf Books for Young Readers |
| Honors | |
| Woody Guthrie spent his life putting into words and music what the rest of America was thinking. He roamed from coast to coast and captured the despair of those displaced by the Great Depression and the dust bowl, eulogized workers, and celebrated the great natural beauty of America. This is an introductory biography presented as a picture book with a brief lyrical text and powerful, hand-tinted, woodcut-like illustrations. It includes the complete lyrics to “This Land Is Your Land” and excerpts from his other songs. A book for all ages, it makes this talented… | |
Woody Guthrie spent his life putting into words and music what the rest of America was thinking. He roamed from coast to coast and captured the despair of those displaced by the Great Depression and the dust bowl, eulogized workers, and celebrated the great natural beauty of America. This is an introductory biography presented as a picture book with a brief lyrical text and powerful, hand-tinted, woodcut-like illustrations. It includes the complete lyrics to “This Land Is Your Land” and excerpts from his other songs. A book for all ages, it makes this talented and tragic man accessible to young children and will please his older folksinging fans with its stunning art.
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
This simple, beautifully illustrated biography of folk legend Woody Guthrie is also a social history of the tough times he lived in. Bonnie Christensen has a folksy yet elegant painting style reminiscent of woodblock work, and the muted blues and browns are enormously evocative of a tragic family history, a hardscrabble life in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, and of a boy kept afloat by hope, compassion, and sheer musical talent. The story takes us all the way to Guthrie’s relatively settled life as a married man with kids on Coney Island’s Mermaid Avenue. It’s a pity, perhaps, that the book encompasses the lyrics of only Guthrie’s most famous song, “This Land Is Your Land.” But it’s the kind of story that sends a reader scurrying for more lyrics—and tapes, of course—and perhaps a borrowed guitar. (Ages 6 to 12) —Richard Farr
