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Weatherford, Carole Boston

Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual

32 pp. | Crown | September, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-0-59330-634-5 $18.99 | Library ISBN 978-0-593-30635-2 $21.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-593-30636-9 $10.99
(1) K-3 Illustrated by Frank Morrison. This is a moving walk through African American history, via Weatherford's expansion of the lyrics of a well-known Negro spiritual and Morrison's powerful, imagistic art. In his distinctive illustrations, Morrison employs innovative perspectives and unusual visual compositions to encourage readers to make connections between historical events, while Weatherford's poetry, per the author's note, "integrat[es] historical and contemporary events that summoned courage and faith." The book's first, wordless double-page spread looks down on the bare back of an enslaved man emerging from the bowels of a slave ship, facing a white enslaver who holds a whip. From there, the book represents significant historical and contemporary Black heroes such as Nat Turner, Ruby Bridges, Florence Joyner, and Colin Kaepernick; it also portrays important eras such as the Harlem ­Renaissance, the civil rights movement, the Great Migration, and the Black Lives Matter movement. A richly illustrated, informative picture book that will leave readers humming and spark a desire to learn more.
Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

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