Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing

by Nancy Churnin, James Rey Sanchez (Illustrator)

Overview

Irving Berlin came to the United States as a refugee from Tsarist Russia, escaping a pogrom that destroyed his village. Growing up on the streets of the lower East Side, the rhythms of jazz and blues inspired his own song-writing career. Starting with his first big hit, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Berlin created the soundtrack for American life with his catchy tunes and irresistible lyrics. With "God Bless America," he sang his thanks to the country which had given him a home and a chance to express his creative vision.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781954354227
Publisher:	Creston Books
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Nancy Churnin is the author of many children's books, including Martin & Anne, Sydney Taylor Notable Irving Berlin, the Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing, and the Sydney Taylor Honor Book Dear Mr. Dickens. She is a full-time writer living in Texas.
James Rey Sanchez is a children's book illustrator, he received a Sydney Taylor Notable Book Award for his book Irving Berlin.   He lives in the San Francisco area.

What People are Saying About This

ReadAbility - Marla Conn

"The language and vivid illustrations are AWESOME!!! A beautiful story that addresses social issues relevant today of asylum and freedom." — Marla Conn, ReadAbility

Director of Libraries, Dallas - Mary Jo Giudice

Churnin’s new book is a delightful historical narrative with pop, pizzazz and color, just like Irving Berlin himself. Children and adults alike will enjoy reading this fantastic journey to the birth of the song “God Bless America”.

Wild Rumpus Bookstore - Collette Morgan

"During this time of immigration upheaval in our country, this book reinforces the notion that our country's 'best and brightest' have historically come from afar. The genius of Irving Berlin is beautifully highlighted in this book. It gave me the chills—please send it to every politician!"
—Collette Morgan, Wild Rumpus Bookstore

author of several books on American popular song, including Irving Berlin: A Life in Song - Philip Furia

Nancy Churnin does a remarkable job of condensing Irving Berlin's long and productive life into a narrative that will appeal to children and introduce them to one of America's greatest songwriters.

award-winning author of How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight - Jane Yolen

"An immigrant,a talent—and America itself was changed.
The true story of Irving Berlin, his songs, and American music.
Beautifully, artfully done." — Jane Yolen, award-winning author of How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight.

Editorial Reviews

05/07/2018
Irving Berlin and his family arrived in America as countless immigrant families did: in New York Harbor, with the Statue of Liberty serving as a welcoming beacon (“ ‘God bless America,’ Irving whispered”). Through vivid storytelling, Churnin describes young Irving’s impressions of the unfamiliar city: “Walking home, the melodies in his head mixed with the crack of stickball games, the wail of the ragmen, and the creak of cartwheels on the cobblestones.” After his father’s death, Berlin earns money by writing and singing songs on the street, then at a restaurant; a fortuitous job at a song-writing company leads to his success. Yet Churnin recounts how fame doesn’t diminish Berlin’s gratitude for his life in America: he gave all of the proceeds for his hugely popular song “God Bless America” to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Sanchez’s handsomely stylized graphics offer visual depth that hints at the many stories unfolding within Berlin’s New York City community; readers will recognize Berlin in the crowds by his long red scarf, which curls emotively throughout the pages. Ages 7–12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"An inviting look at a timeless life."—Booklist

From the Publisher

The story of songwriter and composer Irving Berlin’s humble beginnings and rise to Broadway and Grammy fame takes shape in an engaging biography that highlights the compassion, generosity, and patriotism that characterized his life. Berlin is depicted wrapped in an expressive, bright red scarf that swirls and dances along the streets of New York along with lines of musical notes. Children will enjoy learning about the inspiration behind such well-known hits as “White Christmas” and “God Bless America.

Foreward Review

Nancy Churnin, the theater critic for the Dallas Morning News, offers a fascinating and accessible picture book biography of the great songwriter, in a lovely narrative that is alive with music from the very beginning. Five-year-old Irving glimpses the Statue of Liberty as he and his family, fleeing the pogroms of Russia, arrive in New York on a ship full of immigrants: "A melody rose and flew to her like Noah's dove in search of safe land: Shema Yisroel - Hear, O Israel." On the streets of New York "the melodies in his head mixed with the crack of stickball games, the wail of the ragmen,
and the creak of cartwheels on the cobblestones."
The story of the unlikely beginnings of this self-taught songwriter is a fascinating one: he sang on street corners, got a job as a singing waiter, enlisted the restaurant pianist to help him write "Marie from Sunny Italy" which sold for 37 cents.
Irving Berlin lived to be 101, yet Churnin paints in vivid strokes what feels like a full accounting of his life, particularly his inspiration for "God Bless America," the radio hit sung by Kate Smith that inspired the U.S. on the eve of the dark days of World War II. The book notes that Berlin, who donated all proceeds from the song to Scout organizations, wrote it as "a thank you to the country that opened its arms to countless people from all over the world, including a homeless boy who came to
America with nothing but music in his heart." The vivid, distinctive illustrations are by a California artist and reflect his "love for art [that] came from countless hours of reading comics, playing video games, and '90s Saturday morning cartoons."

The Buffalo News

Irving Berlin’s life sings in this beautifully illustrated, crisply told biography. Churnin tell us how and why he came to this country at age 5, escaping a pogrom in Tsarist Russia. She writes about the financial struggles when his father dies, his beginnings as a songwriter and how his songs captured the love of his adopted country and won the hearts of the American people. An author’s note and time line fill in biographical data. The exuberant art work captures the flavor and the rhythms of early 20th-century New York City.

San Jose Mercury News - Joanna Kraus

Jewish songwriting icon Irving Berlin immigrated to the United States as a child, but was American down to his core. Songs like "There's No Business Like Show Business, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and the ubiquitous "White Christmas," were all Berlin compositions. But the song which meant the most to him and for which he refused to take any personal profit was "God Bless America."

This richly-colored picture biography details Irving Berlin's younger years as he struggled to develop his musical talent. The illustrations make evocative use of shadow and light, creating a sense of movement across the pages. The reader is drawn into Berlin's world of New York streets and music-filled rooms.

The text is dense enough to be informative, yet spare enough to keep the attention of young readers. This lovely book is highly recommended for ages 7 to 12.

Jewish Book Council - Michal Malen

In the 1890’s Irving’s family fled from Russian Cossacks, just as many other Jewish families did. Thoguh his home in New York City was small and poor, music surrounded him constantly. Even after his father died and he slept on the streets, the music still called to him. He taught himself how to pick melodies out on the piano and eventually wrote more than 1500 songs – many of which are still sung today.
Chrunin cuts right to the heart of Berlin’s story and together with Sanchez’s illustrations, they create a simple, heart-felt biography of the composer. I would love to use this in any music class.
EL (K-3), EL – ESSENTIAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Kiss the Book Reviews

04/01/2018
Gr 2–5—In this picture book biography for older readers, Churnin describes the early life of Irving Berlin, a Russian immigrant who became famous for writing such songs as "White Christmas" and "God Bless America," the latter being a focal point of the story. From his arrival in New York City, through times of homelessness and singing on street corners, Berlin's life is retold with rich and descriptive language. Chernin includes interesting details such as Berlin drawing musical inspiration from the Shema Yisrael. Oddly, the subject is never explicitly described as Jewish. Words such as shtetl and cantor are used, but not defined, and no context is given for the family's departure of their homeland. Churnin includes a thorough author's note and time line, describing the remainder of Berlin's life, though includes no bibliography. Sanchez's lively, stylized illustrations fill each spread. The pages could easily be stills from a digitally animated movie. Berlin and his family have exaggerated features and appear caricaturelike, but this is done tastefully. Light and dark are well balanced, with pops of intense color—particularly Berlin's long red scarf that weaves through each page. Sanchez captures the immigrant experience visually, from the joyful faces seeing the New York cityscape for the first time to a young Berlin splashing in a washtub in a crowded tenement. VERDICT A thorough and engaging look at Berlin's early life featuring unique illustrations and a few minor flaws. Purchase for medium to large children's biography collections.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2018-03-04
A Jewish immigrant from Russia gives America some of its most iconic and beloved songs.When Israel Baline was just 5 years old, his family fled pogroms in the Russian Empire and landed in New York City's Lower East Side community. In the 1890s the neighborhood was filled with the sights, smells, and, most of all, sounds of a very crowded but vibrant community of poor Europeans who sailed past the Statue of Liberty in New York's harbor to make a new life. Israel, who later became Irving Berlin, was eager to capture those sounds in music. He had no formal musical training but succeeded grandly by melding the rich cantorial music of his father with the spirit of America. Churnin's text focuses on Berlin's early years and how his mother's words were an inspiration for "God Bless America." She does not actually refer to Berlin as Jewish until her author's note. Sanchez's digital illustrations busily fill the mostly dark-hued pages with angular faces and the recurring motif of a very long swirling red scarf, worn by Berlin throughout. Librarians should note that the CIP information and the timeline are on pages pasted to the inside covers.A book to share that celebrates an immigrant and his abiding love for his adopted country, its holidays, and his "home sweet home." (author's note, timeline) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews