"The joyful illustrations depict young and older black people of various colors, with many different hairstyles and wearing an array of clothing styles, playing, riding, dancing, and walking...The dynamic art and text work together to form a loving ode to belonging for black people of the diaspora."
—Kirkus Reviews
"[A] survey of Tosh's repertoire reminds us that his best works were distinctive and impactful. When the Wailers were first starting their careers at Studio One, Tosh voiced boastful classics...When the Wailers launched their own label in 1968, Tosh became the Stepping Razor, adapting a song written by the Wailers' harmony coach, Joe Higgs, and when the trio began working with visionary producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry, he recorded '400 Years,' one of the most moving explorations of the historical injustices of slavery and its lingering aftermath...His Legalize It album was far ahead of its time in demanding the decriminalization of marijuana in 1975, while Equal Rights reminded that peace will never come without justice...[He was] one of reggae's most fiery and controversial performers, whose work remains relevant."
—Guardian
"Tosh's first two solo records, Legalize It and Equal Rights, are not just two of the best reggae records ever, but also two of the finest records of the '70s, period. They were inventive and deeply catchy records full of songs that could be as playful as they were defiant. Peter Tosh was always outspoken, always the rebel, but it was the way he said things—that honeyed voice, those brilliant and subtly intricate compositions—that set him apart."
—PopMatters
"A beautiful children's picture book."
—Vermont Country Sampler
"'African' is a wonderful song, and turning it into an appreciation of the African diaspora, for kids, is a...spectacular idea."
—Counterpunch
"The joyful illustrations depict young and older black people of various colors, with many different hairstyles and wearing an array of clothing styles, playing, riding, dancing, and walking...The dynamic art and text work together to form a loving ode to belonging for black people of the diaspora."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Magnificent, colorful, vibrantly illustrated."
—Exclusive Magazine
"These are all songs you would hear on the radio, beautifully illustrated to share their song-stories, ideas, and cultural heritage with your children."
—Sing Books with Emily
"Gorgeous...such a fun read!"
—Two Lights Academy"
2020-03-29
Jamaican artist Moss illustrates the lyrics of Tosh’s 1977 reggae hit “African.”
Tosh’s lyrics open the door to black people everywhere, regardless of nationality or geography, to consider themselves African. The first spread shows a world map with Africa at its center and arrows from the continent throughout the world, a vague representation of the diaspora. The refrain, “Don’t care where you come from, / as long as you’re a black man, / you’re an African,” is interspersed with verses that list cities and countries of residence as far flung as Russia and Taiwan, naming different complexions and denominations as inconsequential as well. The joyful illustrations depict young and older black people of various colors, with many different hairstyles and wearing an array of clothing styles, playing, riding, dancing, and walking. The settings faithfully convey the scenery of the locales named. However, the depiction of African wildlife instead of people on several spreads of the refrain, juxtaposed with the people and buildings in other illustrations, risks obscuring the realities of modern, urban Africa. And although modern readers may balk at the gendered chorus, the dynamic art and text work together to form a loving ode to belonging for black people of the diaspora. This is one of four in the new LyricPop series. It and Christine McVie’s Don’t Stop, illustrated by Nusha Ashjaee, which depicts a pink bunny playing with woodland friends as winter melts into spring, are two that work in this series of lyrics-turned–picture book. Skip Paul Hoppe’s interpretation of Mike Love and Brian Wilson’s “Good Vibrations,” in which a kid and a dog surf in unlikely circumstances, and Margaret McCartney’s version of Dee Snider’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” depicting three toddlers resisting naptime. A QR code on the back opens up a Spotify playlist with all the series songs.
A serviceable volume in a hit-or-miss series. (Picture book. 4-8)
