Kid Review – Rise Up with a Song – biography picture book
Worthey, Diane. Rise Up With a Song: The True Story of Ethel Smythe, Suffragette Composer. Illustrated by Helena Percy Garcia. Fresno, CA: Bushel and Peck Books, 2022.
Guide to categories: Kid Review – review of books for elementary-aged and younger children
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Summary
The first-ever picture book about Ethel Smyth, the world-famous composer and suffragette!
In 1867 England, a girl learned to be proper and speak when spoken to. But one girl marched to a different beat. Ethel Smyth climbed fences, explored graveyards, and yearned to become a famous composer at a time when only men could publish their music. But become a composer she did, first signing her music as E. Smyth so people couldn’t guess her gender, then eventually writing openly as a woman (but still sometimes not getting paid!). Ethel had had enough. She joined the suffragette movement, marching in the streets and fighting for the right to vote. She even composed the famous “March of the Women” battle cry―and directed it from her cell window with a toothbrush when she was put into prison.
In superb text and stunning illustrations, Rise Up With a Song tells this remarkable story of Ethel Smyth, the woman who refused to stay down and who used her music to change the fate of women around the world. Backmatter includes a brief bio of Ethel’s musical life, a list of famous works, and even a fascimile of her famous “March of the Women.” An essential addition to musical and feminist libraries everywhere!
Purchase Rise Up With a Song on Amazon – https://amzn.to/41FPUsp
My Kid Review
There was a time in history when women had no voice. They were expected to marry, raise children, and run a household. I love learning about women who went against the norm. Diane Worthey tells the story of Ethel Smythe who was a mischievous young lady who fought the norms of her time.
Rise Up With a Song is a picture book biography of Ethel Smythe. Worthey includes additional “nonfiction” information at the end of the book: additional info about Smythe, a timeline of Smythe’s life, list of selected compositions by Smythe, as well as an extensive list of sources. Rise Up With a Song would be a useful resource when researching women in history.
Helena Percy Garcia crafted illustrations that complement the text, giving readers a taste of what life may have been like for Smythe in the late 1800’s.
Rise Up with a Song is appropriate for a K-12 Christian school library. Upper elementary and middle school students will find the book useful.
I received a complimentary copy of Rise Up With a Song. This is my honest review.