Real People, Tragedies, and Triumphs

MODULE 12: BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY
November 16-22

When Marian Sang
By: Pam Munoz Ryan

Summary:

This picture book describes the life and struggles of Marian Anderson, the first major African American Opera star in the United States. This book tells of her hardships and the discrimination she encountered. It describes her perseverance, and how she never gave up. Marian Anderson eventually traveled to Europe where she was accepted and achieved critical acclaim. She came back home and slowly achieved great success in the United States as well.

My Impressions:

This is a delightful biography of an incredibly important person in African American history written for elementary school aged children. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the poetry of the Negro Spirituals add another dimension of beauty and majesty to the book. This story is very well written, historically accurate, and fascinating. It has a wonderful message of hope and proves that one can accomplish anything, if one sets one's mind to it.

Reviews:

"Most likely, few of the book's intended elementary school audience has heard of Marian Anderson, but all will be won over by the story of how her enormous talent and unrelenting drive helped her overcome significant obstacles in pre-Civil Rights America. Readers will find themselves enthralled by Marian's powerful life story -- due to Ryan's beautifully chosen words and Selznick's gorgeously detailed renderings -- and will especially be haunted the moving images of a young Marion singing with closed eyes, enraptured by the power of song. The subject's courage and subsequent success holds enormous appeal to a wide audience, particularly elementary school children seeking to study cultural role models. "When Marian Sang" is a first class tribute that deserves to join the creative team's previous effort, "Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride," on every children's library shelf."-Vicki Arkoff, (Midwest Book Review, "Vicki's Bookshelf" column, March 2003)


Lesson Plans:

This book would obviously be a great choice for a read aloud for Black History Month. It could also work well for a Women's History Event or Program. It would be excellent for Story Time as children would find the pictures and words interesting. This book would also be great for a discussion and general history lesson on slavery because of the multiple Negro Spirituals present within the book. Students could learn the purpose and tunes of the Spirituals and then have a sing a long.


Arkoff, Vicki. "Children's Literature Reviews: When Marian Sang." Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. December 10, 2009.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. When Marian Sang. New York: Scholastic Press, 2002.