My Country, 'Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights - Hardcover

Murphy, Claire Rudolf

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805082263 ISBN 13: 9780805082265

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2014

Synopsis

More than any other, one song traces America's history of patriotism and protest.

Everyone knows the words to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." What most don't realize is that this iconic song has been a beacon of change for hundreds of years. Generations of protesters and civil rights pioneers have created new lyrics, beginning in royalist Britain and continuing through conflicts in colonial times, the American Revolution, the suffragist and labor movements, and the struggles for black and Native American civil rights. With spectacular illustrations by Caldecott Honor–winning artist Bryan Collier, My Country, 'Tis of Thee offers a fascinating insight into the American fight for freedom.

About this title

About the Author:

Claire Rudolf Murphy is a long-time history buff who loves to write stories from the viewpoint of outsiders in American history. She has written fifteen award-wining books for young readers and currently teaches at Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children program.

Bryan Collier grew up in Pocomoke City, Maryland. His first book, Uptown, won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. He has also received Caldecott Honors for his illustrations in Rosa, Dave the Potter, and Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5–7—A familiar patriotic song culminates in a hymn to "Great God Our King," having long ago originated as a tribute to England's King George II. Through two centuries, many different texts were used by groups for whom freedom didn't ring. Murphy's subtitle introduces this collection of variants. The chronological string of historical points begins in 18th-century England and moves through protests of the colonists, the Revolutionary War, and subsequent lack of freedoms and full citizenship for women, slaves, Native Americans, and people of color until well after the Civil War. Double-page entries include a short bit of history and a related verse of a protest song set against Collier's watercolor and collage scenes and portraits of individuals and groups. The view is most often somber, with dark and neutral tones occasionally brightened with a bit of deep blue. The presentation culminates with Marian Anderson's 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance upon being shut out of Constitution Hall, the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Aretha Franklin's singing at the inauguration of Barack Obama. Finally, readers are invited to "Write a new verse for a cause you believe in. Help freedom ring." The invitation is laudable, and some of the songs are clear and compelling. Others seem quaint or even murky for a young audience: "Let Freedom's voice prevail,/And draw aside the veil,/Supreme Effulgence hail,/Sweet Liberty." The book concludes with brief notes about each entry and the music and verses of "My Country 'Tis of Thee." The sketchy outline of civil rights history could serve as an introduction for some readers or classrooms. Creative music teachers might also use it to explore the larger realm of protest songs.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0805082263
• ISBN 13: 9780805082265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Collier Bryan