Visually stunning and creative. I am a musical fan of Bob Marley (thanks dad) and written in poetic form, his life and music are displayed perfectly. Students not familiar with the artist, can learn and identify from the long-hand poem form that highlights and important area of literary study. The notes from the back of the book provide much insight and personal detail into the man, myth and his upbringing. Connections to spiritual values and moral standards are important themes to be discussed healthily within the classroom.

I and I is a collection of poems that are written by Tony Medina in the voice of Jamaican musician Bob Marley (how Medina would imagine him writing). The author writes that Marley was “a messenger – a poet-musician in the tradition of the West African griot.” (A griot is a traveling poet, storyteller, or musician who shares oral or tribal histories). He tries to celebrate Marley’s life in that same tradition. These biographical lyric-poems will give you a whole new appreciation a poet’s ability to convey a whole story and mood in short, rhythmic cadences.

Evaluation: The lyric-poems in this book are wonderful, and so reminiscent of Marley I was half expecting to find an accompanying CD! The brightly colored and expressive illustrations by Jesse Joshua Watson are beautiful; it’s hard to resist the urge to pull them out and put them on the wall. (The cover picture does not really convey and color and warmth of the pictures within, particularly the ones showing the faces of children.) In the back of the book, there are explanatory notes providing background information from Marley’s life that informs each selection. ( )

Personal Response:
I felt a little confused while reading this book. The poems are written in the first person as though Bob Marley had written but the author is listed as Tony Medina. So I couldn’t figure out if Medina had compiled and edited Marley’s poems or if Medina was actually the author of the poems. It would have helped if there was an introduction saying what the book really contained.
Other than that I really loved this book. The verses are fairly narrative as they tell the story of Marley’s life. However there is beautiful imagery and elements that tie multiple poems together and create cohesion.

Curricular/Programming Connections:
Find other biographies of Marley to learn more about his life.
Find other biographies told through verse.
Have students write about their own lives in verse.
History of race in Jamaica

In striking verse and vibrant paintings, Tony Medina and Jesse Joshua Watson present the life of singer Bob Marley. Additional information about each poem is found in a 'notes' section at the back of the book (including mention of the not-so-kid-friendly bits of Bob Marley's life). An excellent introduction. Highly recommended.

Read my full review on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-i-and-i-bob-marley.html ( )