Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song

By Cynthia Grady and Michele Wood

Enslaved African Americans longed for freedom, and that longing took many forms—including music. Drawing on biblical imagery, slave songs both expressed the sorrow of life in bondage and offered a rallying cry for the spirit.

Like a Bird brings together text, music, and illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award–winning illustrator Michele Wood to convey the rich meaning behind thirteen of these powerful songs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512418996

Cynthia Grady

Cynthia Grady is an author as well as a former middle school librarian and teacher. She lives in New Mexico where she plays music for her two rabbits, Finoa and Banjo. Visit her at www.cynthiagrady.com.

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Reviews for Like a Bird

[einin-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cynthia Grady and Michele Wood, the team behind "I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery", have produced another beautifully compelling piece with "Like a Bird". "Like a Bird" examines thirteen American slave songs with corresponding paintings. A short introduction provides a history of American slave songs and brief explanation of the book's organization. Grady presents a brief history and understanding of each song as well as suggestions for analyzing the accompanying painting. Wood's paintings are bold and evocative yet tender ? ideal for the intended audience. Each painting was inspired by a specific song; look carefully to find the doves in every piece. A beautiful two-page spread and a photo of Harriet Tubman showcase "Get on Board the Gospel Train" with a snippet biography of the indomitable Underground Railroad "conductor". Through the book the songs are provided twice - both with musical notation and without. The book is supplemented by further reading online and in print as well as a helpful glossary for the unique vocabulary in the songs."Like a Bird" is a good balance of information, art, and interpretation. Grady and Wood make it very clear that American slaves didn't sing because they were happy; they sang because they were utterly downtrodden. However, some beauty does live on through their music, even though that music was born of horrific circumstances. There is deep appreciation in this book and it will be an excellent supplement to library shelves, music and art classes, and historical studies.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This incredible picture book beautifully illustrates slave songs, presents a score with lyrics, and tells the story of each song. A glossary, appendix with scoreless lyrics, and bibliography appear at the end. This book deserves a place in libraries and homes. I don't often keep picture books except for cat books, but this is one that I will keep.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The artwork in this book is absolutely amazing. Michelle Wood, the illustrator, used Spirituals to give her inspiration for her illustrations. Thirteen different songs are highlighted, such as Jacob's Ladder, Michael Row Your Boat Ashore, Ezekial Saw the Wheel, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child and more. The origin of the song is explained and the lyrics are included. The illustration is highlighted and some questions are asked. This is a wonderful book that would definitely be a highlight of a Black History Presentation. This should be in every school and public library.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The title of this collection of African American spirituals came from a story told by Harriet Tubman, the escaped slave who courageously returned to the South on some thirteen missions to rescue approximately seventy enslaved families and friends. As the author reports:“Harriet Tubman, born into slavery around 1820, used to dream that she was flying over the landscape ‘like a bird.’”The author further notes that while the lives of the enslaved were exceedingly difficult, they used music to help them “pace their movements, lift their spirits, and communicate with one another.”The main portion of the book showcases thirteen spirituals along with visual interpretations of them by award-winning artist Michele Wood. The songs are shown with both music and lyrics, as well as brief descriptions of the backgrounds and meanings of the songs.The spirituals selected are old, familiar favorites, at least to me. I remember singing them in elementary school (without being told, of course, that they were slave spirituals).In contrast to the way picture books are usually made, it was the illustrator who had the concept for the book. She created 13 original acrylic paintings which she submitted to the author who then came up with the accompanying text. At the end of the book, there are further notes about the lyrics, a glossary, and a selected bibliography.Evaluation: This book offers a different approach to learning the history of the slave period in America, educating readers on art, music, religious influences, and symbolic elements in the songs.Spirituals include:Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless ChildEzekiel Saw the WheelJacob’s LadderMichael, Row the Boat AshoreNobody Knows the Trouble I’ve SeenGo Down, MosesGet On Board - the Gospel TrainDeep RiverAin’t Gonna Study War No MoreSwing Low, Sweet ChariotJoshua Fit the Battle of JerichoSteal AwayOh Peter, Go Ring Them Bells

[thatonelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cynthia Grady and Michele Wood, the team behind "I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery", have produced another beautifully compelling piece with "Like a Bird". "Like a Bird" examines thirteen American slave songs with corresponding paintings. A short introduction provides a history of American slave songs and brief explanation of the book's organization. Grady presents a brief history and understanding of each song as well as suggestions for analyzing the accompanying painting. Wood's paintings are bold and evocative yet tender – ideal for the intended audience. Each painting was inspired by a specific song; look carefully to find the doves in every piece. A beautiful two-page spread and a photo of Harriet Tubman showcase "Get on Board the Gospel Train" with a snippet biography of the indomitable Underground Railroad "conductor". Through the book the songs are provided twice - both with musical notation and without. The book is supplemented by further reading online and in print as well as a helpful glossary for the unique vocabulary in the songs."Like a Bird" is a good balance of information, art, and interpretation. Grady and Wood make it very clear that American slaves didn't sing because they were happy; they sang because they were utterly downtrodden. However, some beauty does live on through their music, even though that music was born of horrific circumstances. There is deep appreciation in this book and it will be an excellent supplement to library shelves, music and art classes, and historical studies.