'We free now, baby,' mama whispers as we bounce and sway with the wagon's twists and turns over roads of clay through the land that oppressed us to a new world, a brand new day. The dynamic author/illustrator team of Toyomi Igus and Michele Wood has come together again to produce I See the Rhythm of Gospel, a sequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning I See the Rhythm. Readers of all ages will be captivated by this informative and inspirational blend of poetry, art, and music that relates the history of gospel music as reflected through the journey of African Americans from their arrival as slaves in America to the election of our first black president, Barack Obama. The bonus CD included in the back of the book features these five gospel songs representing different eras in African-American gospel history: Gospel Quartets: 'Wade in the Water'—Golden Gate Quartet Gospel Women: 'I Will Move on Up a Little Higher'—Mahalia Jackson Gospel Soul (Motown and Funk): 'Hallelujah Praise'—Ce Ce Winans Gospel Power: 'Jesus Be a Fence Around Me'—Fred Hammond and Radical for Christ Holy Hip-Hop: 'I Love You'—Cross Movement
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. — Booklist
Overview
'We free now, baby,' mama whispers as we bounce and sway with the wagon's twists and turns over roads of clay through the land that oppressed us to a new world, a brand new day. The dynamic author/illustrator team of Toyomi Igus and Michele Wood has come together again to produce I See the Rhythm of Gospel, a sequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning I See the Rhythm. Readers of all ages will be captivated by this informative and inspirational blend of poetry, art, and music that relates the history of gospel music as reflected through the