John's Secret Dreams: The John Lennon Story - Hardcover

Doreen Rappaport (www.doreenrappaport.com) has written numerous award-winning books for children, including:Freedom Shipillustrated by Curtis James;Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book; andAbe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. She lives and writes in upstate New York.

Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Book Illustrator Award winner Bryan Collier has created art for many award winning children's books, includingRosa, Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,andFreedom River.Bryan lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Grade 5-8–Using a combination of simple prose, song lyrics, and illustration, this heartfelt picture-book biography traces Lennon's life from his childhood to his death. Striking in both its simplicity and complexity, it captures this enigmatic singer, artist, songwriter, and folk hero in a way that will move and fascinate those too young to remember the man but are surrounded by his music and myth. Collier's remarkable illustrations begin on the cover from which Lennon's emotionless face stares out from behind his trademark granny glasses. Inside the book, soft pastel circles appear everywhere. On some spreads, they are on the sidebars on which the text rests, accompanying an illustration. On others, they overtake the pages–sometimes as simple circles and other times incorporating themselves into the collage artwork, becoming records, or orange slices, or flashbulbs. Alternatively they trace over the illustrations, giving them a dreamlike appearance and reinforcing and celebrating Lennon's messages as his hopes for the world. Rappaport's text portrays him as a creative and tortured soul, referring only casually to his more controversial actions. His death is described simply as "murder" with no further details. His wishes for world peace and tolerance are reflected in most of the lyrics selected. This beautiful and stirring tribute will surely send readers to bookshelves and the music stores to learn more about the man.–Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
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