Review by Booklist Review
A picture book that will encourage adults and preschoolers to sing along together, this exuberant celebration of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and '60s uses as its refrain the children's gospel song This Little Light of Mine, which became an anthem of the time. The portraits and crowd scenes in the bright, handsome collage artwork honor both the movement's leaders and its ordinary people who let their lights shine. First there are the segregated buses and lunch counters, but the pictures and words show that heroes such as Rosa Parks refused to move / She let her light shine. Dr. King inspires the boycotts in Montgomery, and dramatic pictures depict Walkers along the bus routes / They let their lights shine. On one page, there are segregated schools; on the opposite page Ruby Bridges walks to class. The climax is the 1963 March on Washington, and on the last page, President Obama speaks to cheering crowds. Adults can talk about the history (including the roles of those not mentioned here), as well as their personal experiences and where we are now.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The lyrics of Harry Dixon Loes's gospel song "This Little Light of Mine" ring throughout this tribute to individuals who let "their inner light" shine during the civil rights movement. Newton's concise text touches on landmark incidents, underscoring the courage of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., the Little Rock Nine, the Greensboro Four and Ruby Bridges. After referring to Lyndon Johnson's contribution (he "helped to change the law./ Civil rights for everyone"), the narrative leaps rather jarringly to the present, as the president addresses the sprawling crowd at his inauguration: "Speaking to all Americans,/ Barack Obama had a dream./ As President of the United States,/ He let his light shine." Illustrating the often-repeated refrain, "Let it shine!" are images of the segregated 1950s and '60s: black and white passengers boarding a bus through different doors, children drinking from separate water fountains. Newton's electric-hued digital compositions have a distinctly retro feel, incorporating postage marks, scraps of text and other layered elements. Potentially a conversation starter, the text's vagueness and lack of detail will necessitate outside resources. All ages. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Music played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. One of the songs, This Little Light of Mine, serves as a recurring focal point in this book. The well-designed book features large, colorful, deceptively simple images highlighting significant dates and events in the African-American struggle for equality. The illustrations are thought-provoking and sure to prompt questions such as, why, in one spread, the children on one page are black and entering a school, or drinking from a water fountain, while on the opposite page, all the children are white and walking toward another school, and drinking from a separate fountain? Text is kept to a minimum, with a few carefully chosen words to describe what is visually represented on each page. For example, one page of a spread reads, "February 1, 1960. The Greensboro Four"-followed by their names. The facing page reads, "Students at lunch counters-/They hoped to be served. As the Greensboro Four sat waiting,/they let their lights shine." While this is a good introduction to the topic, it sometimes presupposes prior knowledge of, or exposure to, African-American history. Pair this offering with This Little Light of Mine, illustrated by E.B. Lewis's (2005), and/or Ashley Bryan's Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals (2007, both S & S), both of which include verses and musical notes.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This volume takes the song "This Little Light of Mine" and makes it an extended celebration of the heroes of the Civil Right Movement, from Rosa Parks to Barack Obama, who "let their lights shine." There is a jump-on-the-bandwagon feel here, with very little new ground covered. Every icon of the movement is illustrated in nostalgic bursts of color: buses, walkers, schools, water fountains, lunch counters, the March on Washington and Barack Obama's inauguration. The problem is that the illustrations border on stereotypic. Universally jolly, round-faced folk in every shade from light pink to dark brown fill each page. Many illustrations directly reflect familiar iconic photos, but one, the picture of Martin Luther King at the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, is awkwardly off: LBJ, using his left hand, is shaking King's left hand, in a mirror image of a news photo. The pages move chronologically except for one spread, oddly in the middle of the book, that appears to be modern folks singing in a multiracial tableau. A too-intentionally inspirational muddle. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
