A
Band of Angels
(Click to buy book on-line)
Author: Deborah Hopkinson, Raul Colon (Illustrator)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Date Published: December 1998
Format: Trade Cloth
The 1999 Golden Kite Award - Picture Book Fiction
Author's Comments
"While many of us know that most slaves weren't allowed to read and write, we don't
often hear about what happened right after the Civil War. That's when A BAND OF ANGELS
takes place. It was inspired by a real person, Ella Sheppard. Ella was born a slave, and
though her freedom was purchased by her father, her mother was sold away. Ella was a
wonderful musician, and after the Civil War and her father's death, she made her way to
Fisk, an exciting new school in Nashville for former slaves. Staying in school was a
struggle for many of the young students. And there was little money to keep the school
open. In a desperate attempt to save the school, George White, the choir director, took a
group of singers on a concert tour. You can find out what happened to Ella and the Jubilee
Singers in A BAND OF ANGELS"!
Review
Grades 1 to 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
The
Golden Kite Awards
The Golden Kite Awards have been presented since1973, and reflect the most outstanding
work in children’s literature published in 1999. These are the only book awards that
are judged by the peers of those submitting to the competition. There are four panels of
three judges; each panel consists of author and/or artist members of SCBWI (Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, with over 13,000 members worldwide, is the
largest writer’s organization in the country, and the only one specifically for those
working in the fields of children’s books, multimedia, magazines, film and
television) whose own work is in that of the category being judged. The works chosen
are those that the judges feel exhibit excellence in writing, and in the case of
picture-illustrated books – in illustration, and genuinely appeal to the interests
and concerns of children.
Related Links
Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators
www.scbwi.org
