The Little Tree Growin' in the Shade - Hardcover

Yarbrough, Camille

9780399212048: The Little Tree Growin' in the Shade

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399212043 ISBN 13: 9780399212048

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 1996

A history of the African-American spiritual and its unique cultural significance discusses the origins of these songs in the music of slaves who used the songs as expressions of hope, fear, sorrow, and freedom. By the author of Cornrows.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-6?Yarbrough weaves a beautiful story in picture-book format about the role of music in the lives of Africans and shows how it was transformed on American and Caribbean soil. The tale revolves around a "Roots of Rhythm and Blues" concert attended by a sister and brother and their parents, great grandmother, and elderly neighbor. At the park, the father tells his children about slavery and the "culture baggage" the slaves carried with them from Africa. With a compelling delivery that echoes the rhythmic chanting of the griot, the man speaks about concepts such as spirit power and the tree of life that at first are hard for his young son to grasp. The performance begins with a song of praise for the strength and endurance of a transplanted people. By the end, the youngsters understand more about their heritage and the role spirituals played and continue to play in it. Geter's pencil-and-charcoal illustrations are richly imaginative, evoking images of Africa, slavery, roots, and soaring trees.?Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 3^-5. "Why are they called spirituals?" Sister asks Daddy at a concert in the park. He tells her about her African ancestors and how they brought their rich cultures with them to America, not in suitcases, as her little brother imagines, but in their music, their words, and their beliefs. While the family listens to the band, Daddy tells how the various African peoples blended their songs with Christianity and retold the Bible stories until they were free at last. "Everyone sang" about their loneliness, fear, and hope. The contemporary fictional framework is a bit contrived, with some heavy purposive explanations about "speeches in the imperative" and "creative life-force energy." But the history is directly told in a blend of speaking voices, poetry, and song, and Geter's stirring charcoal-like illustrations capture the contemporary individual portraits and their connections in history, memory, and music. Hazel Rochman

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