How Sweet the Sound

*”Weatherford does her own amazing job of telling the story in rhymed couplets that make the events digestible for young readers. Her compact history is juxtaposed against Morrison’s majestic paintings, dramatic spreads that breathe life into both Newton’s story and the history that followed. The afterword closely follows the text, a boon for children wanting more information. The song’s verses and suggestions for further reading and listening complete this fine package.” – Booklist, Starred Review“The illustrations are dramatic oil paintings that successfully evoke gravity, sorrow, and religiosity. The lyrical text presents a mature story in spare verse … An enriching picture of a hymn that has touched hearts over centuries and across the world.” – Kirkus Reviews“Morrison’s vibrant, sometimes haunting oil paintings join Weatherford’s spare, rhyming couplets to delineate the birth and reach of the famed hymn ‘Amazing Grace.’ Dynamic …” – Publishers Weekly“Written in spare rhyming verse, every word is deliberate, and every line carefully crafted to maintain the meter, resulting in a striking trochaic rhythm that begs to be read aloud … What truly makes the book stand out are Morrison’s stunning oil paintings, which vividly bring to life Newton’s personal experiences and moments of larger historical importance.” – School Library Journal“Weatherford’s rhymed verse … encourage[s] readers to reflect on how Newton’s lyrics reflect his personal testimony to sin, repentance, and deliverance… . The limited text, accompanied by Morrison’s stirring full spread illustrations, recommend this for a group audience of mixed ages, particularly for family reading or bible school gatherings.” – BCCB

Carole Boston Weatherford is an ALSC Children’s Literature Legacy Award winner, an honor given to an author or illustrator who has made a substantial and lasting contribution to children’s literature. Her award-winning books include Kin, illustrated by her son Jeffery and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient; Box, which won a Newbery Honor; Unspeakable, which won the Coretta Scott King Award, a Caldecott Honor, and was a finalist for the National Book Award; Respect: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; ALA Notable Children’s Book You Can Fly; and Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Carole lives in North Carolina.

Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including Jazzy Miz Mozetta, winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent; Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book; Muhammad Ali; and How Sweet the Sound. Before becoming a children’s book illustrator and fine artist, Morrison toured the globe as a break-dancer. He lives in Georgia with his family.

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