Sing Freedom!
by Vanita Oelschlager
illustrated by Mike DeSantis
Date: 2015
Publisher: Vanita Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 36
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Sing Freedom! captures the essence of this successful nonviolent revolution in a format highly accessible to children. The conflict that eventually won the Estonians their freedom could have had a very violent outcome. This story tells the history of the oppression of the Estonian people and how they gained their freedom through non-violent means.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
Interested in Estonian history? No? Well, you might be after you read this simple little picture book about the Singing Revolution.
When the Soviets came to power, they pretty much tried to obliterate any other cultures in the area. But Estonians held tight to their folk songs, and eventually used them as a form of civil disobedience. This book covers a period of history from roughly World War II until the present day. I hadn't heard about the Singing Revolution before; I'm glad I was able to read this book to find out a little bit about it.
The glossary at the back is helpful, but the terms aren't in alphabetical order (which is a bit odd). And did you know that Skype is an Estonian invention? I don't know why that little factoid was included, but it's kind of cool.
This could be a nice addition to a classroom library to help teach kids about an interesting little country that seems to fly under the radar (at least here in North America).
Thank you to NetGalley and Vanita Books for providing a digital ARC.
Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
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