Loren LongCritiques

Beginner Reader

I think young readers enjoy this rhyming celebration of skilled labor - building the dreams. Kids are curious about how things are built. This books shows us the dreamers - the architects, designers, etc. and celebrates the workers who work hard to make these dreams a reality. There is a lot of detail in the pictures and this detail will invite several read throughs. I think Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long make a great team!

This one does not feel impactful or memorable.

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Genre
Cumulative tales
Humorous stories
Picture books for children
Songs
Tone
Funny
Illustration
Colorful
Detailed
Subject
Animals
Frogs
Lakes
Character
Anthropomorphic

I like the idea of this book. But I also wonder why the more visible things in our society need to be pointed out and explained. Children see things being built all the time, but they often don't see the work being put in behind the scenes. The work behind the scenes seems more important to point out to young children then the work they can see happening around them. The loaded "But" that leads to a reveal seems a bit reductive too. The illustrations and text are fine though, all and all a great book about construction jobs and why they are important.

A lyrical poem about change in your community.

Aloving ode to folks who get their hands dirty doing nitty-gritty jobs.

It’s all well and good that visionaries—authors, illustrators, scientists, illustrators, architects, and engineers—plot ideas on paper, easels, blueprints, computers, and blackboards, but thoughts, designs, and plans remain figments until pipe fitters, diggers, solderers, construction workers, carpenters, welders, miners, electricians, plumbers, and countless others get down to business and bring dreams to fruition by actually making what creators envisioned. Skyscrapers and houses don’t rise on their own, and bridges don’t span waterways by themselves. And books don’t get published by magic, either! Who gets those words and pictures—as in this very book kids are reading/hearing—onto pages? Why, typesetters and workers who run the presses and load the paper machines! This is a gorgeous, respectful tribute, expressed in jaunty rhymes that read well, to the dignity and beauty of industry and the pride and pleasure derived from doing one’s best. The word build is repeatedly italicized for emphasis. Crisp, definitively lined illustrations superbly suit the robust theme. They reveal many future-job possibilities to kids and, happily, depict multiple genders and persons of various races plying various blue-collar and professional trades, including a Black woman reading to kids at a library storytime; one character appears in a wheelchair. Tool and vehicle aficionados will feel at home. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.9-by-22.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at 35.4% of actual size.)

Marvelous as a read-aloud and as a springboard to maker projects in classrooms and libraries. (Picture book. 4-8)

-Kirkus Review

Amanda Gorman is a national treasure and this is a lovely poem and I could see it inspiring children readers/listeners but it’s Loren Long’s illustrations that really shine in this book. They’re wonderful and they elevate and elaborate on the poem itself. Beautifully done and a gift worthy book for children of any age.

A beautifully written and illustrated poem about wanting to make a difference.

Upea teksti ja kaunis kuvitus.

This book is about a young girl who wants to make a difference in the world. Throughout the book, she helps many people and animals alongside a friend.

As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes–big or small–in the world, in their communities, and in most importantly, in themselves.

A powerful poetic book capable of sparking change in any reader.

In this stirring, much-anticipated picture book by inaugural Youth Poet Laureate and activist Amanda Gorman, anything is possible when our voices join together. As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes—big or small—in the world, in their communities, and in most importantly, in themselves.

Review by Goodreads

Beautiful book that I ordered shortly after the inauguration after hearing Amanda Gorman's lovely poetry. The verse is lovely and the pictures are gorgeous.

“Change Sings”, by Amanda Gorman is an incredible, and colorful story for children and adults to read and reflect, on the changes they wish to see, and the ways they can make change happen. This book takes the reader on a poetic and musical journey through a neighborhood, meeting different people and places along the way, stating quotes such as “We are the change”. This book is illustrated in bright, warm colors, and supports young people in their social justice movements and activism. This book both portrays what needs to change, how to make the changes and a hope for the future. This book can be a window or a mirror book, depending on the reader, and a sliding glass door for all readers, who are open to the idea of sparking change on their own accord or in their community. This book defies stereotypes, with a young black woman as the lead character, and shows a diverse group of people throughout.

A well-deserved ode to the hard-hat and blue-collar workers who put concrete form to the plans of designers, architects and writers.

(Another project! I'm reading all the picture books and graphic novels from NPR's Books We Love 2021: Kids’ Books list.)

I borrowed Change Sings from my dear friend, Sharon. I loved it so much that I ordered my own copy immediately upon finishing it! Read my full review here.

Cute holiday book, not religious. Geared toward an older child than the original Otis, what with it's talk of a horse in labor possibly not making it.

Amanda Gorman gained nationwide recognition after she delivered her stirring poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January, 2021.

Like that poem, this one too expresses hope and optimism, delivered in the voice of a young girl who travels around with her guitar singing songs about change and love. As she goes, she hands out instruments to other kids joining her in working for change. In a verse that says multitudes in spite of its terseness, she declares, “I don’t make a taller fence, But fight to build a better bridge.” She advises other kids, “You’re the love your bright heart brings.”

Illustrations by Loren Long expand upon the poetic verse, showing, for example, wall art of Martin Luther King, Jr. when the girl proclaims, “I dream with the cries of tried-and-true dreamers.”

The cast of other children is very diverse.'

Suggested age range is four and older.

"Great expectations of wordsmith Gorman are not disappointed in this “children’s anthem” to change.

In rhyming verses, a first-person narrator sings along, telling readers, “I can hear change coming / In its loudest, proudest song.” The poem does become a kind of song, as the child, a Black girl with glowing brown skin and textured hair, carries a guitar. As she joins with others, she hands them instruments, and together they change the world in large and small ways—delivering groceries and meals, cleaning up outdoor spaces, and making literal and figurative music with their deeds and their instruments. Long’s illustrations offer an interpretation of the anthem that expands upon the text and becomes its own rhythmic story. A quiet opening and a stunning second spread one could gaze at for days are followed by spreads that alternate between white space and full color, climaxing with a crescendo and then ending on a soft, steady note, when the narrator looks out to readers, offering them an invitation to carry the song on into the world. In rich language and vivid art, this hopeful celebration of the life-affirming power of change to ripple out into a better future is irresistible. Text and poetry work together to regulate a careful reading of this beautiful work. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

One to keep, to read, and to reread. (Picture book. 4-8)" A Kirkus Starred Review, www.kirkusreviews.com

Great to hear Amanda's voice again. Wonderful illustrations.½

Explaining how it takes someone to imagine/dream a project and someone to BUILD the project.