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School Library Journal
Starred Review on February 1, 2011 | Grades 5-up
Gr 5 Up—This exquisite collection of poems and paintings celebrates the history and culture of blues music. Adoff traces the horrific journey of slaves to America and the role that music played as a means of survival, of passing on "the ancestor words." Even as the lyrics describe harsh realities, the innate beauty of music made with sticks, spoons, or whatever was at hand speaks of an irrepressible hope: "Under the hot sun: the chop chop/hoe/measures out the beats of freedom." Chr...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Guide
Reviewed on January 1, 2011
Evoking blues music through theme and sometimes rhythm, Adoff's sixty free-verse poems, idiosyncratically punctuated and spaced, flow easil...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
