Change Sings

As mom to three preschoolers, I read more kids’ books than grown-up ones. This gem by Amanda Gorman and Loren Long is a particularly powerful favorite of ours. The lyrical verse, an anthem for change, is empowering while not downplaying social challenges as a boy and girl go through town helping those in need, showing tolerance to skeptics, and drumming up a diverse band. It is not music itself that brings about change, but you and me. 

Written by Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, the text of Change Sings is particularly dense with poetic devices such as assonance and rhyme. The story is in the illustrations, and it’s a powerful one. A girl with a guitar meets a boy with a tuba, and gradually they are joined by others, who are given instruments as well. As the band grows, the characters do all sorts of community-building tasks, such as picking up garbage, building a wheelchair ramp, and painting a mural. The illustrations are rich and deep. Many books with the theme of inclusion are meant for younger… show more.