What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals

What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals presents the Nativity narrative through traditional African American spirituals. The book pairs spiritual lyrics with vibrant illustrations that portray the Christmas story. The collection features five spirituals, each connected to a different part of the traditional Christmas narrative. Bryan's illustrations use bold colors and expressive figures to accompany each spiritual. The book includes musical notation for each spiritual, making it accessible for performance or group singing. Historic and cultural context for the spirituals is provided in supplementary text. This work highlights the intersection of African American musical tradition with Biblical storytelling, demonstrating how spirituals transformed religious narratives into expressions of faith and community.

Readers appreciate how this book combines traditional spirituals with the Nativity story, praising Bryan's vibrant illustrations and the inclusion of sheet music for each spiritual. Parents and teachers note its effectiveness for introducing children to both Christmas music and African American cultural traditions. Positives: - Artwork described as bold and engaging - Musical arrangements work well for children's performances - Cultural significance of connecting spirituals to the Christmas story - Educational value in classroom settings Criticisms: - Some find the text portions brief compared to the musical content - A few mention the book works better as a music resource than a standalone story Ratings: Goodreads: 4.17/5 (23 ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (6 ratings) Several teachers review the book as a useful December classroom resource, particularly for music education. One librarian notes it serves as "an excellent way to incorporate diverse cultural perspectives into holiday storytelling."

Silent Night by Lara Hawthorne This interpretation of the classic Christmas carol pairs the traditional lyrics with paintings depicting an African nativity scene.

Mary Had a Baby by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney The Christmas story unfolds through African American spirituals, historical notes, and folk art illustrations.

Go Tell It on the Mountain by Debbie Trafton O'Neal and Fiona King African American spirituals narrate the nativity story through paintings and sheet music for each carol.

The First Christmas by Jan Pienkowski Black silhouettes set against colored backgrounds illustrate the King James Bible text of the nativity story.

Sweet Sweet Sleep by Patsy Ford Simms Five African American Christmas spirituals come together with musical arrangements and historical context about each song's origins.

✦ Ashley Bryan, born in 1923, was the first African American to publish a children's book as both author and illustrator, breaking important ground in children's literature. ✦ The spirituals featured in this book were originally sung by enslaved people, who often used religious songs to communicate coded messages about freedom and resistance. ✦ Each spiritual in the book is accompanied by vibrant tempera and gouache paintings, reflecting Bryan's signature artistic style that draws inspiration from African art. ✦ The Christmas story is told through five traditional spirituals, including "Mary Had a Baby, Yes, Lord" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain," with musical notation included for each song. ✦ Bryan spent decades collecting and preserving African American spirituals, viewing them as a vital part of American cultural heritage that needed to be shared with younger generations.