Climbing Jacob's Ladder: Heroes of the Bible in African-American Spirituals

by John Langstaff, Ashley Bryan (Illustrator)

Overview

Climbing Jacob's Ladder is John Langstaff's work celebrating heroes of the bible in African-American Spirituals.

An illustrated collection of black spirituals about Old Testament heroes in which "naive, lively illustrations in brilliant hues depict the Biblical figures as African-Americans might have imagined them, in their own image and likeness, in shades ranging from cafe au lait to molasses." (Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689504945
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	09/30/1991
Series:	Heroes of the Bible in African-American Spirituals
Edition description:	1ST ED.
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

John Meredith Langstaff (1920–2005) was a music educator and author who created the Christmas Revels and wrote the Caldecott Medal–winning children’s book Frog Went A-Courtin’.

Ashley Bryan (1923–2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book, Freedom Over Me. He also received the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books include Freedom Over Me; Sail Away; Beautiful Blackbird; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum; Let It Shine; Ashley Bryan’s Book of Puppets; and What a Wonderful World. He lived in Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 6-- Nine Biblical heroes--Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jonah--are featured in a slim, bright volume. A few lines of text introduce each, only hinting at their full stories, or the meaning of their heroism, or of God's actions regarding them. (This brevity can mislead: a statement that Moses was one of the ``. . . greatest leaders of the ancient world'' only makes sense in a Hebrew-centered context. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, or Romans would not have recognized his name). For each of the nine, a suitable African-American spiritual, with full musical notation (voice and piano or guitar accompaniment) appears on the facing page. Naive, lively illustrations in brilliant hues depict the Biblical figures as African-Americans might have imagined them, in their own image and likeness, in shades ranging from cafe au lait to molasses. --Patricia Dooley, Univ . of Washington, Seattle

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