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NATHAN'S SONG

My very handsome, opera-singing grandfather in his youth, probably still in Russia.
 

From reviews for NATHAN'S SONG, from Dial Press, illustrated by Maya Ish-Shalom, 2021.

 

"The author recounts what is loosely her grandfather's journey to America with love and great affection . . . The graphically striking artwork is brightly colored in blues, yellows, and oranges and fills the pages with dancing figures and city buildings. Families may follow this story with tales of their own American journeys . . . A warm and nostalgic family remembrance." —Kirkus

 

"Ish-Shalom's illustrations lead readers' eyes through the portholes of a large ship, or across docks and city streets, in colorful art that finds contrasts and details of sharply defined and solid characters . . . This title pays tribute to courageous individuals, with an underlying message of the unbroken connection of family love." —School Library Journal

 

"Schubert bases her tale on her grandfather's experiences . . . simplified figures, sharp as paper cutouts in bright crayon eight-pack colors, composed into scenes that occasionally tip the hat to Marc Chagall and Fiddler on the Roof." —BCCB

 

"With a storyteller's cadence, Schubert spins a tale of Nathan, a musically talented boy from a shtetl in Russia who leaves at age sixteen to study opera in Italy...Ish-Shalom's expansive digital illustrations, with their bright palette and simple shapes, include frequent musical notes and depict a cheerful, diverse early-twentieth-century New York. A welcome positive tale about a Jewish immigrant's experience..." Horn Book