Singing justice, singing peace The story of Joan Baez

Joan Baez's commitment to peace and justice provides the driving force of this impassioned biography from Brown and Mendoza. "By the time Joan was five, she knew she wanted to make the world a better place," the opening text highlights. Moving quickly through Baez's early years, crisp narration pinpoints the gift of a ukulele as a turning point for the would-be singer. Determining that "music could move people's hearts, minds, and feet toward a path of justice and peace," the subject is soon performing at coffee shops, clubs, and folk festivals, and pivotal figures including Odetta, Bob Dylan, and Martin Luther King, Jr. provide inspiration and chances for collaboration. Rendered with ink and colored digitally with warm tones, retro-style illustrations are composed like elaborate murals, across which sinuous and feathery adornments connect different vignettes. When Baez opens her mouth to sing, multicolored paisley spills forth--"giving listeners the courage and light to fight for justice"--in a portrait that stirringly foregrounds Baez's political preoccupations. An author's note concludes. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)

A picture-book celebration of folk singer and activist Joan Baez. "As a little girl, Joan Baez loved to be the center of attention--dancing, acting, making jokes, and especially singing!" So begins this introduction to Baez, which is short on basic facts (for instance, the year and place of her birth aren't cited) but long on zeal. Brown covers her subject's youthful empathy (modeled by her principled parents, immigrants from Mexico and Scotland); her struggles with identity (as a child, she was bullied for her Latine heritage but also told she wasn't "Mexican enough"); the gift of a ukulele that set Baez on a musical path; her life-changing exposure to the music of Pete Seeger and other folkies; her post--high school move to Boston, where she got her start playing at clubs; and the steady professional climb that led to performances at 1963's March on Washington and other large-scale social-justice gatherings. Baez is a worthy biographical subject, and Brown does tailor her language for a young crowd ("Joan's voice was beautiful and gentle, her message fierce and strong!"), but the work feels more like a static recitation of Baez's accomplishments than a compelling narrative. Mendoza's pink-and-orange-blasted art finds a retro groove. Often flanking images of Baez are flower motifs, abstract swirls, and other bold imagery that would be at home on the side of a 1960s VW bus. Young readers will applaud Baez but likely won't be begging for encore presentations. (author's note)(Picture-book biography. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.