Citation:  I and I: Bob Marley by Tony Medina and Jesse Joshua Watson, ill.  New York:  Lee & Low, 2009.

ISBN: 978-1-60060-257-3

Annotation: This unique biography of Bob Marley is told in verse and traces his life from his music, his biracial background, and his deep faith in Rastafarianism.

Media: Acrylics on illustration board

Personal Rating: 4Q/4P

Curricular Connections:  This book would be a great addition to a poetry unit or for a multicultural unit. It would also work for a biography unit and students could research the life and music of Bob Marley. It would also work for a music teacher who would like to introduce students to Reggae music. Medina has written a variety of poems that illustrate Marley’s life. There are also detailed notes for each poem that go into further detail about his life. Medina includes good source notes.

Grade Level or Age Range: Grades 5^th through High School

Metaphor: In the poem, “Island Song,” Medina uses metaphor to explain how the slave owners took the Africans and made them slaves. Medina has Marley sing that he wants to take his island back and restore it to the rightful owners. Medina uses metaphor when he compares Bob Marley to a Rastafarian. He says, “I and I a natty dread”.  Medina also uses metaphor when he compares the white slave owners to fools.  He says, “I want to take/ My island back/ From the duppy baldheads/ Come to Jamaica/ On a pirate ship.” His comparison of the slave owners to baldheaded fools is effective because it shows how the real Jamaica is being taken away from the people who truly love it.

Rhyme: This book is full of great rhyme. For example, in the poem “Fate Opens Up Its Heart”, Medina writes in quatrains. The first six quatrains have the rhyme aaba and then changes to the rhyme aabb and abab in the last six. This use of rhyme mirrors the subject of the poem, which is Marley’s love of soccer and his love of playing music. The alternating rhyme and predictable rhyme scheme mirror the playing of soccer and the harmony of music.

Rhythm: In the poem, “Reggae”, Medina uses a patterned rhythm. He writes in two line stanzas that use alliteration and strong rhythm.  The poem is about Reggae music and Ska, and the heavy rhythm of the poem is like the rhythm of Reggae music. It is full of a combination of slow and fast beats which mirror the dancing and singing of the music.

By: Joanne Maher July 25th, 2009

I And I, Bob Marley by Tony Medina, ill. New York: Lee & Low Books, 2009.

The life of musician Bob Marley is told in poems and colorful acrylic paintings, from his childhood in both rural and urban Jamaica to international fame as a reggae superstar.

    - ISBN 978-1600602573

    - Media: acrylics on illustration board

    - Rating: 5Q/5P

    - Literary Device: rhythm - In the poem "Reggae", the cadence is rhythmic like the reggae music it is describing.

    - Curricular Connections: Grades 7-12, Performing Arts, Poetry, Black History Month

    - *TOP TEN*

DPower 7/15/09

I and I by Tony Medina, ill. Jesse Joshua Watson. Lee & Lowe Books Inc., New York, 2009. 978-1-60060-257-3

Summary: The story of Bob Marley's life, beliefs, and music is told through poetry and bright acrylic paintings.

Analysis: It's a bit borderline whether this is a picture book or just an illustrated book. Really, either the pictures or the poetry could stand just fine on their own, but they complement each other beautifully. The book isn't trying to tell the whole story; it's a series of snapshots explained by copious notes in the back. Just the words and pictures themselves are beautiful and would captivate a younger child, but few students younger than 5th grade are going to get most of the references.

Alliteration -- "While the band wails on/ Along a brassy sassy sound/ So smooth and sweet"

Illustrations: Exuberantly colored acrylics with amazingly expressive faces. Red, black, yellow, and green recur everywhere, echoing the Jamaican flag.

Rating: 5Q/5P

Curricular connections: 9-12th grade unit on music or history. It would clearly want to be complemented by Marley's actual music, and the stories of other reggae and Jamaican notables.

--SLH