Adah Nuchi

*A finished hardcover copy of GOD BLESS AMERICA: The Story of an Immigrant Named Irving Berlin was sent to me for free by the publisher, Disney-Hyperion, for an honest review. All thoughts here are my very own.

In 1938, Irving Berlin's song, GOD BLESS AMERICA, debuted on the radio. And so many people liked it so much, "they wanted to replace the national anthem with it." However, some people boycotted it because Berlin was an immigrant...

The author narrates Berlin's journey from when he was a small child fleeing from Russia with his family, to coming to America and moving to New York's Lower East Side, to how Berlin, even as a small child, knew the importance of having to work hard to help the family... we get to see Berlin fall in love with America and music and how he was able to combine the two by joining the Army to help and do what he did best - create music! Music that most people, even now, sing and hum every day... I had no idea he had done so much for Broadway and the Army - this memoir was so insightful!

Surprisingly, this book spoke to me on so many levels! In the times that we are facing now, I feel that many of us need a book like this for ourselves and our children. A reminder of America's history; a time to reflect and really see where most of us came from and are going... This wonderfully written picture book is a great way to help us teach our children about the "good old days" and what that saying really means and how dreams were possible! And with the right mindset, how everyone's dreams are still possible!

The illustrations are so heartwarming and endearing capturing the time period and pieces of Berlin's life perfectly. The old retro look piqued my little one's curiosity and question after question started to pour out of him - he wanted to know what was happening then and why. Finding out that everything takes place in New York, where we reside in and having it look so different and noticing how things change was so surprising for him... I also truly appreciated that the author added a note summarizing Berlin's biography and a timeline of events in the back of the book. It truly helped to answer his questions quickly and easily; other facts were discussed in animated detail, a few things were also elaborated due to a 4 1/2-year-old's imagination - which made this book memorable for the both of us.

I highly recommend this book to all! It's come to us at the most perfect time. Those who are looking to introduce their little ones to America's history and how diverse and wonderful it was and still is will love everything about this book!… (mais)