Synopsis – When I Hear Spirtuals
Your spirit will soar! A girl connects with heritage, history, and a higher power through the lyrics of twelve beloved spirituals and four seminal events in African American history.
A beautiful keepsake to be shared by multiple generations.
Author Bio
Author, publisher and entrepreneur, Cheryl Willis Hudson has more than four dozen years of experience in the children’s book industry. A native of Portsmouth, Virginia, and a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, Cheryl began her career doing text book design for publishers such as Houghton Mifflin and Macmillan.
Noticing a lack of quality Black-interest books for her own two children, in 1988, Cheryl and her husband Wade formed Just Us Books, Inc., a publishing company that specializes in children’s books that focus on Black experiences. Cheryl’s first book, AFRO-BETS ABC Book, was Just Us Books’ first published title.
Cheryl has received many honors in recognition of her contribution to children’s literature, including the 2019 Children’s Book Council’s Diversity Award, 2019 Jane Addams Honor Book Award (for We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices), the
Hurston-Wright Foundation’s Madam C. J. Walker Award, and is an inductee of the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent.
An active member of her community and publishing industry organizations, Cheryl has served on the advisory board of the Langston Hughes Library at the Alex Haley Farm, operated by the Children’s Defense Fund and is a member of the Children’s Book Committee of PEN America.
My Review
When I Hear Spirituals by Cheryl Willis Hudson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The cover and illustrations in this book are beautiful and capture the emotion of each spiritual.
I love the author’s note at the end which teaches more about the history of the Spirtual and its place in African American history. The included glossary and information about the historical events depicted were also very informative and I think they are a great way to introduce history to a younger audience. I almost wish they could have been included before the story so that people not familiar with history would be able to look out for them as they went through the book.
This story is one which I expect to be read and reread to children and I think pairing that with actually listening to the Spirituals depicted will actually make the history and the writing come alive for children.
As is typical in Spirtuals, there is a heavy religious content, so don’t be surprised by that as you make your way through the book.
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