#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Song of a Blackbird

Posted on by katieday

Today’s post comes to you from Song Yee Paik

Since being published a year ago, “Song of a Blackbird” by Maria van Lieshout has been featured twice on GLLI (reviewed by Lynn Miller-Lachmann in March 2025, and explored in an author interview by Kim Tyo-Dickerson in May 2025) and has received significant critical acclaim. Last month it was named a Michael L. Printz Honor Book 2026 by the American Library Association and a few days ago it won two Golden Kite Awards. See the long list of those recognizing its excellence at the end of this review.

In the heart of Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, a blackbird watches from the eaves as history unfolds—not in grand battles, but in the quiet, dangerous work of saving lives through art.

Song of a Blackbird is a poignant Middle Grade novel that seamlessly weaves together two timelines: the present-day quest of a young girl named Annick and the harrowing 1943 reality of Emma, a Resistance artist. When Annick’s grandmother, Hanna, looks for a bone marrow donor to improve her chances of survival from leukemia, she discovers that she is not a match with her siblings, and that she was not even biologically related to them! With this startling discovery, Annick goes on a mission, using the only clues available—five evocative art prints—to trace her grandmother’s biological roots and to attempt to save her life by finding a matching donor.

A Teacher’s Perspective: Connecting Past and Present

As a former educator, I am always looking for “entry point” literature for students who are fascinated—and sometimes overwhelmed—by the Holocaust and WWII era. This book is a goldmine for supporting readers looking to learn more about this period. It highlights how battles aren’t only fought on the front lines but also through the kindness and courage of individuals: the printers, the counterfeiters, the artists, priests, who risked their lives to forge a future for themselves and their nation.

The dual-timeline serves as an ideal example that shows students how past trauma isn’t limited to textbooks, but that it is a living reality that continues to shape families in the present day. For students interested in the ethics of the era, the story of the counterfeit treasury bills provides a nuanced look at the logistical bravery required to defy the Nazi regime.

Title: Song of a Blackbird

Author/Illustrator: Maria van Lieshout

Publisher: 2025, First Second 

ISBN: 978-1-250-86982-1

Awards & Honors

Resources

You can buy a copy of Song of a Blackbird here or find it in a library here. (Book purchases made via our affiliate link may earn GLLI a small commission.)

Song Yee Paik is an international educator and lifelong bibliophile. With a career spanning from Pre-K to High School, she has shaped young minds at leading institutions including Shanghai Community International School, The American International School of Guangzhou and United World College of SE Asia (UWCSEA) in Singapore. Now based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Song Yee remains a dedicated advocate for literacy – starting at home, where she actively supports her two teenage daughters’ reading lives alongside her husband.

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