A handsomely designed picture book biography provides an apt introduction to the life and work of Woody Guthrie, who always used his art to call attention to the plight of common workers. In the stunning illustrations, heavy black lines give the mixed media paintings the appearance of woodcut prints. The lyrics of several of his songs are excerpted here, and all seven verses of “This Land Is Your Land” are also included with a note that it always troubled Guthrie to hear the verses about hardship dropped. (Ages 7–10)

Woody Guthrie spent his life putting into words and music what the rest of America was thinking. He roamed from coast to coast and captured the despair of those displaced by the Great Depression and the dust bowl, eulogized workers, and celebrated the great natural beauty of America. This is an introductory biography presented as a picture book with a brief lyrical text and powerful, hand-tinted, woodcut-like illustrations. It includes the complete lyrics to “This Land Is Your Land” and excerpts from his other songs. A book for all ages, it makes this talented and tragic man accessible to young children and will please his older folksinging fans with its stunning art.