The latest kids’ music album from Grammy Award winner Joanie Leeds takes a stand against book bans via songs inspired by banned books—and half of them are LGBTQ-inclusive titles you probably know! Listen here and watch the music video for “Tango,” inspired by the two-dad penguin tale.
Leeds explained the motivation behind the album, Freadom, in a press release:
When the political landscape seems too divisive to make change, I ask myself as a children’s musician, “What can I do?” My frustration and grief often become the catalyst for new music. Freadom lifts up some of our favorite banned titles and causes some ‘good trouble’ as I reimagine the stories in song form and perform alongside some of the best musicians I know. Please take a stand and join me fighting book bans and protecting the personal freedoms of ALL Americans. We will not be banned!
Joanie Leeds. Credit: joanieleeds.com Media Kit
Freadom kicks off with “Banned,” a pointed, rousing song that reminds us book bans impact children who love these books, and that it’s up to all of us to speak out against censorship. The opening chant was recorded by Leeds’s 8-year-old daughter.
“Tango” is a musical retelling of the true story of two male penguins who hatched an egg together at the Central Park Zoo—the story also immortalized in And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (2005). Fans of the book will love this complementary version of the tale; if you haven’t read it yet, the song will make you want to do so.
“Block Party” was inspired by Patricia Polacco’s In Our Mothers’ House (2009), about a two-mom family and their neighborhood. It doesn’t reiterate the story per se, but explores a similar theme of community and being welcoming.
The driving beat of “Rainbow Flag” honors Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, by Rob Sanders (2018), with a look at how Harvey Milk and Gilbert Baker created the symbol that still flies today. Even if you haven’t read the book (and you should!), you’ll want to add this one to your Pride playlist.
“Born That Way” is not a version of the Lady Gaga hit “Born This Way,” but rather an ode to 10,000 Dresses, by Marcus Ewert (2008), the first picture book to feature a transgender child. The song doesn’t dwell on the blunt rejection that protagonist Bailey faces from her parents and brother in the book, although it does acknowledge, “Sometimes the people who love you the most/Don’t understand/Won’t lend a hand/Don’t let their rain turn your fire to smoke/Say ‘I am who I am.'” Affirmingly, it concludes, “Stay the person inside of your heart/You were born that way.”
Other songs were inspired by banned books that reflect non-LGBTQ but still marginalized identities:
“Cholent Time” takes its cues from Mara Rockliff’s and Kyrsten Brooker’s Chik Chak Shabbat (2014; Bookshop; Amazon), about a Jewish woman’s famous Shabbat stew—and her diverse group of neighbors who step in to help one week when she isn’t feeling well enough to make it.
“Inside Your Heart” reflects Junot Diaz’s Islandborn (2018; Bookshop; Amazon), about immigration, heritage, and family stories.
“Sing It Out” draws from Sing a Song: How ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ Inspired Generations, by Kelly Starling Lyons and Keith Mallett (2019; Bookshop; Amazon).
Leeds, who won a Grammy for her 2020 feminist album All the Ladies, sings on Freadom with the Joanie Leeds Book Band, consisting of Grammy-nominated artists Regina Carter (also a MacArthur “genius grant” fellow), Cheryl B. Engelhardt, Oran Etkin, Saul Paul, and Divinity Roxx. Additional guest artists include two-time Grammy winner Lucy Kalantari, Joya Barman, Flor Bromley, Rob Dietz, Darius Kalantari, Aaron Nigel Smith, Kymberly Stewart, Syreeta Thompson, and Robin Tucker.
These are great children’s songs by any measure, sung and played by some of the best in the business, with a welcome layer of social justice. Give them a listen below, or on Spotify, Apple Music, Prime Music, or SoundCloud, among other services. You might even want to tell your favorite librarian about them. Libraries may be quiet places, but sometimes they hold events that could use a soundtrack. I can think of nothing more perfect right now.
