SINGING JUSTICE, SINGING PEACE

A picture-book celebration of folk singer and activist Joan Baez.

“As a little girl, Joan Baez loved to be the center of attention—dancing, acting, making jokes, and especially singing!” So begins this introduction to Baez, which is short on basic facts (for instance, the year and place of her birth aren’t cited) but long on zeal. Brown covers her subject’s youthful empathy (modeled by her principled parents, immigrants from Mexico and Scotland); her struggles with identity (as a child, she was bullied for her Latine heritage but also told she wasn’t “Mexican enough”); the gift of a ukulele that set Baez on a musical path; her life-changing exposure to the music of Pete Seeger and other folkies; her post–high school move to Boston, where she got her start playing at clubs; and the steady professional climb that led to performances at 1963’s March on Washington and other large-scale social-justice gatherings. Baez is a worthy biographical subject, and Brown does tailor her language for a young crowd (“Joan’s voice was beautiful and gentle, her message fierce and strong!”), but the work feels more like a static recitation of Baez’s accomplishments than a compelling narrative. Mendoza’s pink-and-orange-blasted art finds a retro groove. Often flanking images of Baez are flower motifs, abstract swirls, and other bold imagery that would be at home on the side of a 1960s VW bus.

Young readers will applaud Baez but likely won’t be begging for encore presentations.