The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World by James Howe, illustrated by Jack Wong (Harry N. Abrams, 48 pages, grades 1-5). Growing up in Paris and New York City, Yo-Yo Ma showed his musical gifts early, playing cello from the age of 4, performing for President John Kennedy at 7, and debuting at Carnegie Hall at 15. But Yo-Yo wanted more than just the life of a musical prodigy. As a teen, he started questioning who he was, aside from being an obedient son and a cellist. He studied anthropology at Harvard and learned about music as a universal language. As an adult, Yo-Yo has used his music to bridge the gaps of culture, language, and generations. He continues to develop his musical gifts and to share them with people of all ages from all over the world. Includes a timeline, notes from the author and illustrator, and lists of additional resources.
I love how this book shows how Yo-Yo Ma, an incredibly talented and hard-working musician from an early age, has never rested on his laurels, but has used music in innovative ways to have positive impacts on the world. Through his appearances on Mr. Rogers, Arthur, and Sesame Street, his creation of Silkroad Project to bring together musicians from around the world, and his performances of “Songs of Comfort and Hope” during the pandemic, Yo-Yo shows us all how to use our unique talents in creative and powerful ways.
The Friendship Train: A Story of Helping and Healing After World War II by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Boris Kulikov (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 48 pages, grades 2-5). In the fall of 1947, Europeans were facing a winter of hunger due to postwar devastation. Journalist Drew Pearson had the idea of creating a Friendship Train that would start in California and travel to the east coast, stopping along the way to pick up donations of food from across the U.S. While Mr. Pearson initially worried that there wouldn’t be enough donations to fill a boxcar, the final collection was enough for 500 boxcars. The food was transferred onto ships which sailed for Europe in December of 1947 and brought welcome relief to Europeans. The French people reciprocated with a Merci Train, collecting and shipping gifts in 1949 that were distributed all around the US. Includes a two-page author’s note with additional information about the Friendship Train and ways readers can address the problem of hunger today, as well as a list of sources and a bibliography.
This well-researched book tells a heartwarming story of Americans rising to the occasion to help Europeans get through the winter before the Marshall Plan was implemented. It would make a great read-aloud for Thanksgiving or the December holidays. My curiosity led me to read more about Drew Pearson, who sounds like a remarkable person deserving of his own biography. I also learned that his wife Luvie was equally involved in the project, although she’s not mentioned in this story. And if you want to find out about what happened to the Merci Train donations to your state, you can learn about it here.