Review by Booklist Review
This lushly illustrated picture-book biography tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an opera-singing African American environmentalist and activist. During the 1930s, in Jim Crow--era Jacksonville, Florida, where most beaches were for whites only, Betsch's grandfather bought some shoreline property and turned it into American Beach, a resort open to everyone. Both locals and celebrities enjoyed its sunshine, but when Betsch's retired from her career as an international opera singer in 1977, she discovered that the property was being taken over by developers. Betsch was determined to save the natural setting and devoted her fortune and the rest of her life to environmental activism. As a result, American Beach was finally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Holmes' vibrant, multilayered collages aptly evoke the ocean and shifting sands, and are especially effective in capturing Betsch's determined stance, her brilliant outfits, and her seven-foot-long tresses. Added visual details, such as the ropes stretched between the white and Black beaches, and Betsch marching with a picket sign, provide additional context. Betsch, who became known as the Beach Lady, died in 2005, and her ashes were scattered on American Beach. This story of a wealthy, sophisticated, talented, and larger-than-life activist deserves a wide audience.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In her picture book debut, King profiles MaVynee Betsch (1935--2005), a Black opera singer who devoted herself to maintaining American Beach, which her great-grandfather bought during the Jim Crow era to make "open to everyone." When her mother falls ill, Betsch returns to Florida and, remembering the deteriorated beach's better days, sets out to protect it, protesting the construction of condos by living there, writing letters to lawmakers, and petitioning the president. King crafts musical prose, skillfully connecting Betsch's musical career with her love of the beach (" 'Brava!' they cried... whipping velvet curtains into rippling waves"). Caldecott Honoree Holmes's art, rendered in acrylic and collage, incorporates patterns created from handmade stencils and stamps, resulting in richly multilayered illustrations. A moving portrayal of a little-known preservationist. Back matter includes an author's and illustrator's note. Ages 4--8. (Apr.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
American Beach in northeast Florida is now a protected part of the National Park Service, but it began as a private beach bought by African American millionaire Abraham Lincoln Lewis in 1935 to allow Black people a respite from segregated beaches (where "there was even a rope in the ocean" to keep the races separate). It was a childhood haven for future opera singer (and Lewis's great-granddaughter) MaVynee Betsch, who found a second career in saving the beach, which fell into neglect after civil rights gains had made it redundant. Author and illustrator work in exceptional harmony here to bring MaVynee and the beach to life, with Holmes depicting in acrylic and collage the beauty of the "ocean paradise where [Lewis's] family and other black people could swim, picnic, and build sandcastles." Even later, when MaVynee returns to the now-abandoned beach, nursing her own depression, Holmes finds beauty in the sadness, using the long horizontals of the spreads to glorious and poignant effect. Author and illustrator notes along with sources provide and point to further information about MaVynee Betsch. Roger Sutton July/August 2021 p.134(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An unsung American hero who used her voice to preserve the natural spaces she loved. MaVynee Betsch grew up in the Jim Crow South, where she and other Black kids couldn't swim with the White kids. An orange rope even segregated the ocean. Wanting beaches for all, MaVynee's wealthy great-grandfather, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, bought a beach in Florida and welcomed African Americans, calling it American Beach. This "ocean paradise" entertained both regular folk and greats like Ray Charles, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ella Fitzgerald. MaVynee herself became a successful opera singer, but when her mother got sick and died, MaVynee abandoned her musical career and returned to Florida only to find her beloved beach in disrepair. Developers wanted to buy it to build condos. Holmes' stunning, intricately composed paint-and-collage images bring MaVynee to life in full color and capture her eccentricities: She grew her locked hair to 7 feet long, decorating it with seashells, sometimes styling it into a high topknot and other times draping the end over her arm. Holmes uses a brilliant cerulean for ocean and sky and peppers the vibrantly patterned illustrations with found items such as torn raffle tickets, newspaper clippings, promotional posters, and sheet music, making each spread visually rich, realistic, and fascinating. King's storytelling, Holmes' artwork, and informative backmatter portray MaVynee Betsch as the larger-than-life Black environmentalist she was. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-21-inch double-page spreads viewed at 27.6% of actual size.) A spectacular story about a little-known eco-warrior whose story should be told and retold. (author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book/biography. 6-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
