Premium Members Get 10% Off and Earn Rewards Find Out More

A Band of Angels

Add to Wishlist

A Band of Angels

Paperback(Reprint)

$8.99

View All Available Formats & Editions

Paperback(Reprint)
$8.99

View All Available Formats & Editions

SHIP THIS ITEM

Qualifies for Free Shipping
PICK UP IN STORE
Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Available within 2 business hours

Want it Today?
Check Store Availability

Related collections and offers

Want it Today?
Check Store Availability

Overview

Based on the life of Ella Sheppard Moore, this glowing picture book tells the story of a determined and resilient singing group with a lasting legacy.

A loving narrator shares the story of her great-grandmother Ella with her niece. Ella, the daughter of a slave, and the Jubilee Singers traveled all over the world singing the old sorrow songs, the songs of slavery. Their hard work raised funds to keep their college open and pave the way for thousands of students. This luminous, lyrical story is a poignant reminder that the old spirituals, or jubilee songs, stood for hope and freedom.

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689848872
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	01/01/2002
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,053,547
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the author of numerous award-winning children's books, including Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, winner of the International Literacy Association Award; Girl Wonder, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; and Apples to Oregon, a Junior Library Guild Selection. She received the 2003 Washington State Book Award for Under the Quilt of Night. She lives in Oregon. Visit her online at DeborahHopkinson.com.

Raúl Colón has illustrated several highly acclaimed picture books including the New York Times bestselling Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt and Susanna Reich’s José! Born to Dance, which received a starred review in Booklist. Mr. Colón lived in Puerto Rico as a young boy and now resides in New City, New York, with his family.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

Founded for former slaves in 1866, Fisk School (now Fisk University) had to struggle to survive its early years. Hopkinson tells the fictionalized story of Ella Sheppard, pianist for the Jubilee Singers, who went on tour to raise money for their school and were instrumental introducing spirituals to the world. Colon's illustrations capture the dignity of the Singers and the eloquence of their performance.
— The Horn Book Guide

Joanna Rudge Long

Founded for former slaves in 1866, Fisk School (now Fisk University) had a struggle to survive its early years. To raise money, music teacher George White took his group, the Jubilee Singers, on tour. At first, the popular music they sang failed to attract an audience; but when they offered the hitherto unfamiliar music of their own heritage, they not only became famous but were also instrumental in introducing spirituals to the world. With the help of Fisk librarian Beth Howse (great-granddaughter of Ella Sheppard, the singers' pianist), Hopkinson tells Ella's fictionalized story as it's related by "Aunt Beth" to a niece who treasures this significant family history and imagines what it was like to be part of the historic group. Beginning with Ella's struggle to earn tuition for a longed-for education and the determination of all the students to keep their school alive, Hopkinson credits Ella herself with the dramatic turnaround when a bored audience was finally captivated. On the spur of the moment, Ella played and sang "Many Thousand Gone"; the others joined in, to ringing applause. Ironically, the tour became such a success that they never returned to Fisk to graduate; they did, however, save their school. Col¢n's handsome illustrations-monumental figures in richly textured brown, blue, and rust suffused with the golden tones of old photos-capture the dignity of the singers and the eloquence of their performance. A note on the history of the Jubilee Singers, who still perform, closes the book; endpapers feature portraits of nine of the singers.

Horn Book Magazine

A groundbreaking African-American chorus founded in 1871 inspires this warm and moving picture book. "Grandma Ella was born into slavery... but no one could chain her voice," begins Aunt Beth in response to the girl narrator's request for her favorite story. After the Civil War, Ella becomes one of the first students to attend the Fisk School, a newly formed institution for freed slaves in Nashville. She has been at her studies only a short time when the school's run-down buildings and dire financial situation puts Fisk on the verge of closing. But Professor White, who teaches music, recruits Ella and fellow members of the school chorus to tour the northern states and raise money for Fisk. In the North, the singing group meets with harsh discrimination that moves them to perform not the slotted popular tunes of the day but the "powerful songs of courage" known as spirituals--a program change that earns them both money and accolades. Hopkinson's (Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt) lilting text interweaves subtle details about racial tensions after the Civil War while emphasizing the importance of education and of being true to oneself. Colon's (My Mama Had a Dancing Heart) watercolor and colored-pencil compositions are awash in soft, golden light. His characteristic cross-hatching technique adds texture and depth to each painting, and scenes of the chorus lost in song--voices raised, eyes closed--reveal the courage and heart of these trailblazing singers. Ages 5-8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In a starred review of this story inspired by a groundbreaking African-American chorus founded in 1871, PW wrote, "Scenes of the chorus lost in song voices raised, eyes closed reveal the courage and heart of these trailblazing singers." Ages 5-9. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1-5--This picture book is both touching and inspirational. The narrative is written from the point of view of the great-great-granddaughter of Ella Sheppard, one of the original Jubilee Singers from the Fisk School in Nashville, TN, the first school for freed slaves. As Aunt Beth tells about the struggles of Ella and the rest of the chorus to raise money to save their school, the girl imagines what her great-great-grandmother might have thought or felt. The singers traveled throughout the North after the Civil War performing popular music. However, it was only when they began to perform the "jubilee" or spiritual songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" that they gained popularity. Later, they sang for Queen Victoria and President Grant and the funds they raised helped to build Jubilee Hall and establish Fisk University. Hopkinson's poignant prose sets the tone for this glimpse into a little-known bit of black history. Using the device of a family storyteller and a child narrator brings immediacy to the tale and a personal connection to the events. Colon's soft watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are full of gentle greens and browns. The sepia tones add an antique look to the book. This heartwarming presentation is not a historical account, but rather a human look at recorded facts. A fine read-aloud with a good story, uplifting pictures, and fascinating information.--Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY

School Library Journal

The warm, colored-pencil drawings by Raul Colon beautifully convey the book's story within a story...Deborah Hopkinson previously took on the task of fashioning events in black history for the understanding and reading pleasure of children in Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. A Band of Angels is an excellent addition to her list of credits.
— Riverbank Review

Mary Moore Easter

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews