I and I Bob Marley - Softcover

It's surprising, given Bob Marley's international fame and accessible, peace-promoting music, that there are so few books about his life available for youth. Medina, whose children's books include Love to Langston (2002), helps fill the void with this glowing, substantive, picture-book biography in verse. Following the reggae legend from birth to death, the mostly chronological poems reveal a full portrait of the musician, moving from personal details to wider themes. In one poem, Marley's words about his father encompass slavery, his biracial heritage, and the African Diaspora: 'Papa is a white man so I've been told / My face a map of Africa in Europe's hold.' In another, he speaks about both his love for music and the social justice he hopes to inspire: 'We don't want to / Land in jail / All we want to do is wail / Be the voice of the voiceless / Bring some happiness and / Consciousness to the down-pressed.' In the words and rhythms of Jamaican patois, Medina's lyrical, direct lines make the most sense when read in tandem with the extensive appended notes, which explain the many specific references to Jamaican history, Rastafarianism, and Marley's life events. Like the words, Watson's beautifully expressive acrylic paintings evoke a strong sense of Marley's remarkable life and his Caribbean homeland. A short bibliography of adult titles rounds out this rare, soulful tribute. --Starred review, Booklist

In Love to Langston, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Medina paid homage to the Harlem poet Langston Hughes. His latest biography-in-verse celebrates another powerful master of words: Bob Marley. Early poems show Marley growing up on the Jamaican farm of Nine Miles dust, struggling to understand his mixed heritage and absent father. Then, in My Papa Sends for Me, a scared little boy of six boards a bus in the hopes of a better future, all the while crying a hurricane of pain. Stories unfold in 17 individual poems as Marley learns the power of music, falls in love and ultimately shares his redemption songs with the world. . . . Verses scan smoothly in a relaxed, reggae style. Watson's light-soaked strokes of reds, greens and yellows saturate the pages with warmth and vitality. The irrefutable kind of reggae bursts forth with twinkling eyes and dreads / a twirl. From love to politics to peace, Marley's music stirs the soul as does this passionate collaboration. Detailed endnotes provide background, poem by poem. --Kirkus Reviews

This lyrical picture-book biography of the reggae icon tells his story in verse, from humble beginnings in a small Jamaican village to his glory days as an influential musician. Told in first person (the 'I and I' can mean 'we'), 17 poems chronologically plot Marley's life path; combined, the poems (and vibrant acrylics) paint a vivid picture of the poverty and turmoil but also the love, faith and island beauty from which Marley arose. . . . Medina's (Love to Langston) thorough endnotes will answer questions, e.g. what the term Babylon means. Watson's (Chess Rumble) majestic art powerfully evokes the people and places that had the strongest influence on Marley, as well as the power he himself would wield. --Publishers Weekly