How many times have you sung "This Land is Your Land"? Did you know it started out as a rebuttal to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"? Woody Guthrie thought that was a 'mirage' song and did not represent the real America. The original title was "God Blessed America". (That was part of the original last line). For a wonderful history of this song, as well as folk music in general, read This Land is Your Land: Woody Guthrie and the Journey of an American Folksong, by Robert Santelli. It went unused for many years, tucked in Guthrie's notebook were he collected the songs he wrote. There are two mostly unused verses (reflecting poverty and want), and at first, Guthrie never thought the song would really catch on. (Pete Seeger wasn't sure, either, but he went on to end all of his concerts with this song)!

Partner the book above with This Land That I Love: Irving Berlin, Woody Guthrie, and the Story of Two American Anthems, by John Shaw. Again, a wonderful history of folk and/or popular music, this time with a more patriotic slant. It is a wonderful ... weaving ... of the music of the times: folk, country, hillbilly, spirituals, they are all intertwined. One fun bit here: I knew that America, the Beautiful was originally just as a poem, with no intent of adding music, but it was written in the popular meter of 8 and 6. Which means, it seems, that it can be sung quite easily to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" or "Auld Lang Syne"! (p. 30)

This Land Was Made for You and Me: the Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie, by Elizabeth Partridge is listed as a juvenile biography, but adults will like it, too. (In fact, I would suggest this for slightly older readers, not the very young). Woody Guthrie loved being on the road and the author traveled many of the same roads. Wonderful pictures, including many drawings by Guthrie.

There are several picture books with the title This Land is Your Land, but none are available locally. :-( If you can find one, I think it would go well with these! :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog