Publishers Weekly
Three forms of narrative--pictorial, poetic, and factual--take place in this somewhat cluttered exploration of the historical, cultural, and spiritual influences that produced gospel music, from the collaborators behind I See the Rhythm (1998). Full-bleed paintings cover at least half of each spread, while small adjacent text puts Wood's imagery in historical context. Opposite, first-person poems, in various font colors and sizes, take readers through decades from Africa to slave ship, plantation to Underground Railroad, and to cities across the U.S. up to the present day. Highlighted dates with short explanatory paragraphs appear six to 10 a page, detailing key events ("1870: The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution gives blacks the right to vote"). Christian symbols (doves, crosses, fish) and odes to gospel stars like Louis Armstrong, the Golden Gate Quartet, and Pastor Shirley weave throughout emphasizing spiritual themes: "With sanctified voices--powerful and strong--our gospel divas channel His love through song." This comprehensive, energetic book (which includes a CD) addresses the gospel community's passionate endeavor to engage ever-changing political and cultural influences while remaining true to its cultural roots. Ages 9–12. (Jan.)
1/2011 Publisher’s Weekly
This comprehensive, energetic book (which includes a CD) addresses the gospel community’s passionate endeavor to engage ever-changing political and cultural influences while remaining true to its cultural roots.
Booklist
Gospel music---its origins and its effects on the souls and stories of African Americans---gets a strong,
loving treatment here. Wood and Igus, who collaborated on I See the Rhythm (1998), once again join forces, with Igus providing the stirring text and Wood the inventive folk art. After an introduction explains the elements of gospel, the book begins with the coming of slaves to America and follows the music as it moves through specific periods in history---slavery, Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the civil rights movement---and becomes meshed with other forms of music, including “holy hip-hop.” The prose poetry,
appearing in varying colors and fonts, features strong, memorable phrases---“Gospel women turn city streets into sacred spaces”---and is matched by intricately detailed paintings executed in strong colors.
Adding to the book’s usefulness is a terrific CD with five songs spanning the history of gospel music.
A solid package for those already familiar with the strains of gospel or those getting into it for the first time.
School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—In this follow-up to I See the Rhythm (Children's Press, 1998), Igus and Wood take readers on a musical journey tracing the evolution of the African-American spiritual, "born out of the brutality of slavery," into the gospel music of today. Rhyming text and striking, colorful folk art come together in information-packed spreads. The text, opposite full-page paintings, varies in size and color. Running across the top, side, or bottom is a time line of significant events and people in African-American history, beginning with 1485 and the Portuguese slave trade until 2008 and the election of Barack Obama. Descriptive captions accompany the vivid paintings, and the subtle inclusion of the "spirit of the artist" as a child in each illustration is a nice touch. Text and images follow the development of gospel music within the context of the overall African-American experience: "I see the rhythm of Africa,/the mother of humanity"; "I see the rhythm of a New World,/strange beliefs,/a life of despair,/a life of grief"; "I see the rhythm of our hope….of jubilee day….of Bronzeville….gospel quartets….of our lament….Motown and funk…," and more. A concluding section, the "Word on Gospel," has brief comments by several well-known gospel singers. The CD features five gospel songs representing different eras.—Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Kirkus Reviews
Reprising the vibrancy of their Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner, I See the Rhythm (1998), Wood and Igus celebrate African-American gospel music along its historical transit from the Middle Passage to 21st-century "Holy Hip Hop." Double spreads explore gospel's evolution through slavery, the post-Reconstruction migrations north and west, gospel quartets on radio and vinyl and much more. There's a whole lot going on, including the rhyming verse, a timeline of cultural and historical events and captions elucidatingthe accompanying paintings. The color-saturated art pulses with symbolic patterns and raw emotion. Display type alters with each page turn, and borders and spot art construed from facing paintings complete each teeming layout. Gospel's symbiosis with Christian spirituality—and the artist's own deep devotion—are key: One painting, both compelling and disturbing, depicts the crucified Christ nailed to a slave ship's joists, flanked by men bound and contorted by chains. An accompanying CD contains five songs representing selected musical eras, with the Golden Gate Quartet and—spectacularly—Mahalia Jackson, the clear standouts. (foreword, quotations, suggested song list) (Informational picture book/poetry. 8-12)
