Persecuted as Jews, Izzy Baline and his family emigrated from Russia
to New York, where he fell in love with his new country. He heard music
everywhere and was full to bursting with his own. Izzy’s thump-two-three, ting-a-ling, whee
tunes soon brought him acclaim as the sought-after songwriter Irving
Berlin. He ignited the imaginations of fellow countrymen and women with
his Broadway and Hollywood numbers, crafting tunes that have become
classics we still sing today.
But when darker times came and the nation went to war, it was time for Irving to compose a new kind of song:
A boom-rah-rah song.
A big brass belter.
A loud heart-melter.
A song for America.
And
so “God Bless America” was born, the heart swelling standard that
Americans have returned to again and again after its 1918 composition.
This
is the tale of how a former refugee gave America one of its most
celebrated patriotic songs. With stirring, rhythmic text by Adah Nuchi
and delightful, energetic art by Rob Polivka, readers will be ready to
hum along to this exuberant picturebook.