Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice

Gr 1–3—In a lifetime of music making, folksinger Pete Seeger (1919–2014) brought people together to sing for social justice. Reich's enthusiastic picture book biography opens with a glimpse of the singer inviting an audience to join in, as he did so often, perhaps most memorably at Barack Obama's first inauguration, in 2009. The author, a longtime admirer, then goes back to recap Seeger's childhood and then compresses a 70-year career into key highlights. Aimed at a younger audience than that of Anita Silvey's Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger, this volume does use a relatively wordy text to include the most important events. But understanding Seeger's life and work may require more background in political and social history than the young audience will bring to the story. The summary sometimes feels oversimplified, as when the House Un-American Activities Committee is referred to as "some congressmen." The effort to cover the particulars sometimes obscures Seeger's guiding principles, his strong commitment to social justice, and his sheer joy in bringing people together through singing. Gustavson's realistic art supports the admiring tone. On most spreads, the text and a relevant drawing stand opposite a painting; occasionally the art bleeds over, into, and behind the words. A foreword by fellow folksinger Peter Yarrow helps put Seeger's career into context.