Song of a Blackbird by Maria Van Lieshout is a poetic exploration of family, resistance under oppression, and art. It 
tells two stories, one is of Annick, a young girl, in 2011, who is desperate to learn more about her family history while grieving the reality of her oma’s terminal illness. The other is of Emma, a resistance fighter in Amsterdam, 1943, under Nazi occupation.
The book opens with the narrator, an omnipresent blackbird who has found Annick in the midst of pain and suffering. Her oma, Johanna, is terminally ill, and without a bone marrow transplant, she will not survive. The most likely donors for a bone marrow transplant would be biological siblings, however, there is no biological connection between Johanna and her siblings. Without knowing her history, Johanna may not be able to find a suitable donor. So Annick uses the few clues they have, prints of buildings in Amsterdam signed by Emma B., to explore her oma’s history, a history that begins in Amsterdam under Nazi rule.
Our narrator, the blackbird, also tells the story of Emma, a young woman living in the Netherlands under Nazi occupation. Horrified by their oppression and violence, Emma becomes involved with the resistance. First helping to smuggle Jewish children into Dutch families, while their Jewish parents are being deported on trains, and eventually working with other resistance fighters in printing houses as they attempt to sabotage Nazi efforts in Amsterdam.
The book alternates between Annick’s investigation and the story of Emma in Amsterdam’s resistance. In each chapter, Annick focuses her investigation on a building from one of her oma’s prints. A building that is integral to Emma’s story as well.
The two stories are connected through the art prints by Emma. Chronicling the story of Johanna and her family. Art is a prominent theme in the story. In her investigation into family history Annick meets a young poet who paints his words on walls for all to see, rather than written on paper. Humanity connects through art and words. Compared to the hate embedded in propaganda, art builds compassion and connections. In the book, art connects past and present, brother and sister, and the resistance fighters to each other.
The story is fictional but based on real people. In the backmatter, Van Lieshout includes brief biographical sketches of the many people who inspired characters in the book, including her grandparents, who themselves were members of the resistance in Amsterdam under the Nazi occupation. Also included in the backmatter, on dark pages filled with black ink, is biographical information on the real life Nazi officers who committed the atrocities in Amsterdam.
It is an emotional story with beautiful illustrations about little known actions taken by members of the resistance in Amsterdam. Most illustrations are line drawings in black and white, with moments of color, such as a red coat or green background, emphasizing emotion and importance to the characters and pages. On some pages Van Lieshout illustrates real photos of buildings in Amsterdam. The art of photography was an act of resistance under the Nazis (as discussed in the backmatter), and use of the photos both anchors the story to the true historical events depicted in the story, but also honors the act of taking photographic evidence.
The blackbird’s narration is primarily in verse, offering commentary and context to the images on the page. The text of this narration is often beautiful and poignant, however, not always. There were moments that were awkward and disjointed. The plot is also disjointed in places. The investigation and clues from the prints at times feels loose and unconnected. It is an imperfect book, but one with many beautiful moments, and as a whole a strong and powerful message.
Song of a Blackbird would be a good fit with older middle school or high school readers. There are other better written graphic novels about World War II and the Holocaust, but there is beauty in this book, it is a unique story. It may be a good purchase if you are looking for books with curricular connections to World War II, the Holocaust, and resistance fighters, or are looking for books that explore the connections between the past and the present.
Song of a Blackbird
By Maria Van Lieshout
Macmillan First Second, 2025
ISBN: 9781250869814
Age Rating: 14 and Up
NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation: Dutch,
Character Representation: Dutch,
