By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music

Born in the rural South and hired out to farmers at age seven, Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) had a thirst for learning. He learned to read from newspaper fragments and walked miles to church, where reading was celebrated: "As I read the Bible aloud/ I had never felt so proud." As he grew, Tindley sought out teachers and studied for the ministry at night. Sturdy verse by Weatherford weaves the words of hymns the figure wrote ("A better home... I'm going there") into lines that describe his slow, steady rise through the Great Migration and Great Depression until he became pastor of an urban church with 15,000 parishioners and wrote dozens of hymns for them to sing. Collier creates one compelling watercolor and collage spread after another, from a view of the small boy shadowed by tall trees as he trudges to church to congregants joined in song with Tindley at the pulpit. Though Weatherford doesn't define gospel music or explain its further development, she artfully champions Tindley's achievements, and Collier portrays both the man and his life events with memorable visual power. An author's and illustrator's note and list of hymns conclude. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

Gr 2-6--Weatherford traces Charles Tindley's life (1851-1933), from his impoverished childhood to his move North as part of the Great Migration to his legacy as an influential minister and gospel music writer. The pastor is best known for "I'll Overcome Some Day," which inspired the historic protest anthem "We Shall Overcome." Tindley, born in 1851, was the son of an enslaved father and a free mother who died when Tindley was young. Hearing spirituals in the work fields motivated Tindley to learn how to read the Bible. The first-person narrative highlights his appetite for education and his unwavering faith. The rhyming text uses a hymn-like structure. The watercolor and collage illustrations, peppered with images of Tindley's sheet music, provide a vibrant and meaningful backdrop for the story of the composer's life, presented as "a sermon inside a song." The rhyming device causes some of the text to be less straightforward than it could be, using expressions like "donned the robe" to describe Tindley becoming a pastor. Young readers may need support to comprehend some of the more nuanced vocabulary terms. However, this stylistic choice is effective as it conveys the importance of lyrics in Tindley's life and ministry. VERDICT This beautiful volume will make an excellent addition to biography collections and broaden available resources for black history studies in elementary and middle school classrooms.--Kelly Jahng, South Park Elementary School, IL