About This Book

Most people know of Marian Anderson from her historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, which drew an integrated crowd of 75,000 people in pre-Civil Rights America. While this momentous event showcased the uniqueness of her voice, the strength of her character, and the struggles of the times in which she lived, it is only part of her story.

Like the operatic arias Marian would come to sing, Pam Muñoz Ryan's text is as moving as a libretto, and Caldecott Honor medalist Brian Selznick's pictures are as exquisitely detailed and elaborately designed as a stage set. The woman who emerges most profoundly from their harmonious biography is a role model of courage, for even in the face of enormous obstacles Marian maintained her grace and dignity and fulfilled her dreams.

Listen to Pam Muñoz Ryan read When Marian Sang.

*"Ryan and Selznick reunite for another magical collaboration . . . Perfectly paced and perfectly pitched . . . A bravura performance." —School Library Journal, starred review

About the Authors or Illustrators

Pam Munoz Ryan

Award-winning author Pam Munoz Ryan writes books for adults, picture books for children, and novels for older students. Her works include Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, Becoming Naomi Leon, The Dreamer, Esperanza Rising, Paint the Wind, and Riding Freedom, which have garnered, among countless accolades, the Pura Belpre medal, the Jane Addams Award, and the Schneider Family Award.

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Brian Selznick

Brian Selznick is the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor winner, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, and the New York Times-Best Illustrated Walt Whitman: Words for America, both by Barbara Kerley, as well as the Sibert Honor winner When Marian Sang, by Pam Muñoz Ryan. In 2008 he won the Caldecott Medal for the groundbreaking title, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

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