God Bless the Child (picture book)

God Bless the Child is a 2003 picture book by Jerry Pinkney with the words and music of Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. It is about an African-American family moving from the rural Deep South to urban Chicago during the Great Migration.

God Bless the Child
AuthorBillie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Jr.
IllustratorJerry Pinkney
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature, picture book, Song
Published2003 (HarperCollins)
Publication placeUSA
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages32 (unpaginated)
ISBN9780060287979
OCLC45230462
Includes cd of song by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr.

Reception

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School Library Journal (SLJ), in a review of God Bless the Child, called it "A moving visual interpretation", wrote "The warm and sweeping illustrations are masterful, completely filling each spread. .. While a fine choice for independent reading, this title is particularly poignant when shared with a group, turning the pages in conjunction with the CD.", and concluded "This offering makes an excellent tie-in to units on African-American history."[1] SLJ also recommended it "to enrich music classes".[2]

God Bless the Child has also been reviewed by The Horn Book Magazine,[3] Booklist,[4] Publishers Weekly,[5] Kirkus Reviews,[6]

It was awarded a 2005 Coretta Scott King Award illustrator honor.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "God bless the child [sound recording (CD + book)]: Reviews". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  2. ^ Joyce Adams Burner (December 1, 2008). "Legends and Unsung Heroes: Black History in Picture Books". slj.com. Media Source Inc. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  3. ^ "God Bless the Child". kcls.bibliocommons.com. OCLC 45230462. Retrieved February 19, 2017. More gift book than picture book
  4. ^ "God bless the child". Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Retrieved February 19, 2017. Here, Pinkney gives the words strength and a sense of possibility
  5. ^ "God Bless the Child". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. January 1, 2004. Retrieved February 19, 2017. Repeated viewings reveal an extraordinary level of detail and a visual and narrative movement that echoes the family's journey.
  6. ^ "God Bless The Child (starred review)". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. October 1, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2017. With Holiday's music and Pinkney's art, this package sets expectations high—and doesn't disappoint. .. The evocative recording on the CD ends too quickly; there is much to pore over and discuss here, and this remarkable work is worth picking up (and listening to) more than once.
  7. ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". ala.org. American Library Association. 5 April 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2017.