Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
Author: Barak Obama
Illustrator: Loren Long
Alfred A. Knopf (2010)
So many famous people write books and most of them are pretty lame. This one, however, is amazing. I truly fell in love with it! I believe children need role models and this book is filled with them and, surprisingly, not the typical ones. Obama's lyrical voice tells his daughters that they are strong, kind, inspiring etc. For each character trait, there is a person who exemplifies that trait. For example Martin Luther King doesn't give up. Jane Addams is kind. And Billie Holiday has her own song. There is a great mix of male/female and different ethnicities, including Native American. The one kind-of oddity to me is Cesar Chavez because he did some great things but also some awful things. ( In my youth, I used to be really into him and proudly wear his image on a t-shirt until I realized that it wasn't as black and white as it seemed).
Anyway, I eat up anything that can help inspire my daughter to dream big and help her realize that there are so many amazing things she can do in the world.
The proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to a scholarship fund for the children of fallen and disabled US service personnel.
As for Loren Long, can you imagine being asked to illustrate a book written by the President? He also illustrated a book written by Madonna. Check out the Otis series on his website--looks very engaging.
http://www.lorenlong.com/index.html
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