Editor’s Pick: “The Hero in You” by Ellis Paul
What do Rosa Parks, Benjamin Franklin, Chief Joseph, Woody Guthrie and Martha Graham have in common? All became heroes in their own way and in their own time, and all were once regular children with joys, sorrows, and a future full of opportunity and possibilities. Rosa Parks rose from a humble southern upbringing to sparking a revolution with the simple act of refusing to move on a bus. Woody Guthrie celebrated America through song and poetry, and became the voice of a generation who desperately needed hope. Singer songwriter Ellis Paul does the same for modern day children in his recent children’s book and accompanying CD, “The Hero in You” (Albert Whitman and Company, 2014). With original songs about the historical figures above and more, paired with Angela Padron’s illustrations, Paul inspires children to find their purpose and pursue their dreams by learning from those who have gone before.
“Everybody’s got a story,” he sings, “of all their troubles, all their glories . . . You can make the hero you are with your brains, your aim, and you battle scars . . . There’s no denying there’s a hero in you.”
Each song’s melody and instrumentals are matched cleverly to the hero described, and the tunes will leave kids and adults alike wonderstruck.