Let’s Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance, Spin & Turn It Out!: Games, Songs, and Stories from an African American Childhood
Most adults today can remember chanting metrical rhymes while jumping rope or playing hand-clapping games as well as using them in circle games. In school or in church, there were songs and hymns to learn. We learned superstitions, proverbs, parables, folk tales, Bible verses, and so much more. But this is a book that focuses on these with a base in the African-American community. Some of the songs were inspired by stories of the Underground Railroad, others are gospel songs and spirituals. But this isn’t simply a collection of these various pieces. They are supported with terrific historical research and short essays about the different songs and poems and how they have evolved through the years. Some of these short essays are highly personal to the author. All are written in accessible, reader-friendly, and lively language. Author Patricia C. McKissack has put together a remarkable compendium of African-American childhood staples and added a section on performance pieces youngsters would have recited. There is also good back-matter supporting the work and a comprehensive index. Illustrator Brian Pinkney has added life to all of this with charming, subtly-colored drawings. This is perfect for classrooms and families.
Author | Patricia C. McKissack • Brian Pinkney, Illustrator |
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Star Count | 5/5 |
Format | Hard |
Page Count | 184 pages |
Publisher | Schwartz & Wade |
Publish Date | 2017-Jan-10 |
ISBN | 9780375870880 |
Bookshop.org | Buy this Book |
Issue | March 2017 |
Category | Children's |
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