When I saw the title, Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away, I assume it was going to be a fictionalized story of a famous singer. But it turns out to be a fun story about a grandfather, granddaughter and overcoming fear with the song in your heart.
The fact that the characters are black and in a non-traditional family setting is never brought to the forefront of the story. It is just “there” which makes this a nice book for anyone. Ketch Secor tells a nice story of a brave girl, Lorraine, but sometimes even brave people get scared. The story’s addition of music and a surprise friend are just gravy. Music is just the way Lorraine learns to be brave and her connection to her grandfather.
Now we come to Higgins Bond and some far-out illustrations. Bond’s style comes out in Lorraine with their usual tones and colors. They are happy. Bright. Colorful. Detailed. They bring out the Tennessee hills perfectly. Text and art mixed together bring to life Lorraine and her Pa Paw. And old school feel combined to make a classic feeling story. This book could be set now or maybe 50 years ago. The style of dress would make me lean towards the 1950s and 1960s more than now, but truly this is a timeless tale.
I was unaware who Ketch Secor was (the founder of Old Crow Medicine Show). However, this is a nod to this with their crow friend who plays an important part later in the story.