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elizabethlk's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
With beautiful illustrations and engaging writing, Strange Fruit tells us the story of Billie Holiday's life with a focus on her powerful protest song Strange Fruit. It makes a really complicated subject accessible and gives us information about an absolute icon of music history. The extra information at the end is a great supplement. Recommended!
With beautiful illustrations and engaging writing, Strange Fruit tells us the story of Billie Holiday's life with a focus on her powerful protest song Strange Fruit. It makes a really complicated subject accessible and gives us information about an absolute icon of music history. The extra information at the end is a great supplement. Recommended!
jmanchester0's review against another edition
5.0
Where are all the protesters today? We need more people with a voice to speak up!
But this was a fascinating story (and the art)! This is the kind of thing you don‰ЫЄt read about in the whitewashed history books. We need to be sharing more stories of this kind of activism!! Check this out - you won‰ЫЄt be disappointed.
But this was a fascinating story (and the art)! This is the kind of thing you don‰ЫЄt read about in the whitewashed history books. We need to be sharing more stories of this kind of activism!! Check this out - you won‰ЫЄt be disappointed.
valerielong's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 out of 5 stars rounded up.
Strange Fruit by Gary Golio (author) and Charlotte Riley-Webb (Illustrator) is an absolutely wonderful picture book about Billie Holiday's famous song with the same title.
The first thing you notice in this book are the illustrations. They are vibrant and seemingly leap from the pages. They're sort of brash and crazy, but they're absolutely beautiful and just right for this book. I'm not sure of the medium. They appear to be either oil paint or pastels. Perhaps even oil pastels. Whatever was used, the broad strokes and vibrant colors combine just perfectly.
The story line of the book is well told and moves along at a decent pace. The prose is well written and it's definitely a story that deserves to be, even needs to be told. It's not a real nice story as far as "happy ever after" and making you smile all the way through, but it's a needed story and a well written one. It will make you think. It may cause difficult discussions between you and any children you read it with, but it's an important story to tell and an important piece of history (and unfortunately, to a point, part of current events as well) that needs to be discussed.
The only reason this picture book did not get 5 stars from me is because I felt that at times, the text was difficult to read because of the vibrant illustrations and the small font used. Now, I did read this book as an eBook and not in print format. Perhaps it is easier to read the text in the print format. Other than that small issue, this book is phenomenal and I highly recommend it to everyone. Those who are fans of Billie Holiday will certainly appreciate it, but I believe that it's a great book for everyone, not just those who are fans.
*** I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. ***
Strange Fruit by Gary Golio (author) and Charlotte Riley-Webb (Illustrator) is an absolutely wonderful picture book about Billie Holiday's famous song with the same title.
The first thing you notice in this book are the illustrations. They are vibrant and seemingly leap from the pages. They're sort of brash and crazy, but they're absolutely beautiful and just right for this book. I'm not sure of the medium. They appear to be either oil paint or pastels. Perhaps even oil pastels. Whatever was used, the broad strokes and vibrant colors combine just perfectly.
The story line of the book is well told and moves along at a decent pace. The prose is well written and it's definitely a story that deserves to be, even needs to be told. It's not a real nice story as far as "happy ever after" and making you smile all the way through, but it's a needed story and a well written one. It will make you think. It may cause difficult discussions between you and any children you read it with, but it's an important story to tell and an important piece of history (and unfortunately, to a point, part of current events as well) that needs to be discussed.
The only reason this picture book did not get 5 stars from me is because I felt that at times, the text was difficult to read because of the vibrant illustrations and the small font used. Now, I did read this book as an eBook and not in print format. Perhaps it is easier to read the text in the print format. Other than that small issue, this book is phenomenal and I highly recommend it to everyone. Those who are fans of Billie Holiday will certainly appreciate it, but I believe that it's a great book for everyone, not just those who are fans.
*** I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. ***
decafjess's review against another edition
5.0
It's not often that a children's nonfiction book brings tears to my eyes, but Strange Fruit certainly had that effect. Even though I was familiar with the song and its story, the beautifully artistic presentation of Ms Holiday elicits a strong emotional response.
The book masterfully tells the story of Ms Holiday in such a way that the reader understands she had a difficult life, but without going into painful specifics.
The significance of Strange Fruit's lyrics can be seen in the faces of stunned audience members at Ms Holiday's shows.
Highly recommended reading.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book masterfully tells the story of Ms Holiday in such a way that the reader understands she had a difficult life, but without going into painful specifics.
The significance of Strange Fruit's lyrics can be seen in the faces of stunned audience members at Ms Holiday's shows.
Highly recommended reading.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
spellingbat's review against another edition
3.0
It's always good to see a book about Billie Holiday, and this song addresses is a very important topic not often addressed in books for kids. The oil paintings are sometimes evocative of deep emotions, but are uneven in effectiveness. The smears and sometimes swirls of color echo the idea of jazz, but I can't tell if the same motivation is behind fact that Billie looks different (sometimes markedly) in all the pictures, and if they weren't gathered together in a book I'd never have said they were supposed to be the same person.
This book definitely focuses more on the song although it shares biographical details of Billie, too, including backmatter with more detail on her life as well as information about lynching and the meaning of the song.
This book definitely focuses more on the song although it shares biographical details of Billie, too, including backmatter with more detail on her life as well as information about lynching and the meaning of the song.
boomeraang's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.0
The illustrations in this book were absolutely breathtaking. They felt so free and alive - almost as if they were jumping off of the page.
autumnal_daydreams's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The illustrations are so very beautiful and powerful. The story they tell runs deeper then the words on the page.
I would recommend for all ages, for adults the sources noted at the end are worth a deeper dive but for children the book huts exactly the right notes.
I would recommend for all ages, for adults the sources noted at the end are worth a deeper dive but for children the book huts exactly the right notes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Blood
libscote's review against another edition
3.0
While I didn't like this as much as his previous book about Jimi Hendrix, this book is an excellent introduction to Billie Holiday and the song. I think it treats the subject of lynching with the respect it deserves, while also not being too much for the age group it is aimed at to handle.
hookagoodbook's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully illustrated and informative book. The rich pictures lend movement to the words. This is not a child's picture book, but instead, more of a documentary of the song Strange Fruit and what it meant to the artist, Billie Holiday, who performed it. I have loved this song for years but had never really given thought to how it came about that Billie Holiday sang it, and what she had to put up with from society for doing so. This is a book that can be enjoyed by all ages. A young child will enjoy the illustrations, while the story may have little meaning to them. The informational text would be beneficial to middle schoolers and older. The mix of the two may best be enjoyed by adults. This book has something for everyone.