Jubilee!
One Man’s Big, Bold, and Very, Very Loud Celebration of Peace
Age 7+
General Fiction
An exuberant picture book applauds the man behind the 1869 National Peace Jubilee, the largest and loudest concert the world had ever seen — or heard.
As a young boy growing up in Ireland, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore loved music — the louder, the better! This love of music followed him to Boston in 1849, where he became a bandleader. During the brutal Civil War, it was music that kept up his spirits and those of his fellow soldiers. So when the war ended and peace was restored to the country, Patrick had an idea. He would create the biggest, boldest, loudest concert the world had ever known to celebrate. A peace jubilee! But with twelve cannons, forty church bells, one thousand musicians, and ten thousand singers, just how would all of this sound? Matt Tavares’s spirited illustrations burst with sound words in perfect harmony with Alicia Potter’s triumphant story of the joy of music.
Creators
Alicia Potter is the author of Fritz Danced the Fandango, illustrated by Ethan Long, and Mrs. Harkness and the Panda, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Alicia Potter lives in Boston.
Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of Zachary’s Ball, Oliver’s Game, Mudball, Henry Aaron’s Dream, There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, and Becoming Babe Ruth. He is also the illustrator of numerous picture books, including The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, Lady Liberty: A Biography by Doreen Rappaport, and ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.
