EVERY CHILD A SONG

Celebrating the worth of every child and the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Spare free-verse text encourages each child to embrace their unique identity, but it also recognizes that they need and deserve the support of the community to reach their potential, in keeping with the UNCRC (selections from which appear in the backmatter). As the title says, each child is like a song. “Whatever melody a song sings, / each one is true and beautiful; / unique and special as your own.” A brown-skinned child with short, straight black hair skips down a road in an aerial view, a serene blue bird in the foreground. But in the next spread, a child stands alone, reaching for assistance as a throng of busy adults walks by, absorbed in their own business. While illustrations with sweeping splashes of rich color and minimal details don’t shy from depicting the chaos and danger for refugees in a small boat in a storm and the darkness of forced silence, hate, and war, the overarching tone is positive. A scene of a multiracial group of people striding (and rolling, for a child in a wheelchair) with purpose accompanies the hopeful text: “For together, we raise our voices / for the right of every song to sing out loud, bold and unafraid.” Front endpapers show a single flying bird while a flock of multicolored birds soars on the back endpapers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48% of actual size.)

Perfect for one-on-one and small-group reading and guaranteed to provoke discussions around self-worth and social justice.