Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2005)

Starred Review This picture book's surprisingly intimate interpretation of the well-known spiritual makes it accessible to young children and their own whole world. Nelson uses pencils, oils, and watercolors to create a series of striking, beautifully composed pictures. The opening scene of sun just visible beyond the arc of the earth in space gives way to a San Francisco cityscape with the sun against the skyline. With the words, He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands, the pictures introduce an African American boy holding up a childlike portrait of his multi-ethnic family. His fingers on the sides of the picture visually echo God's hands supporting his brothers and sisters in the song. A series of double-page spreads show the boy with family (particularly his father) engaged in a variety of activities: flying kites, fishing, doing a jigsaw puzzle of the earth. In the end, the scenes move away from the immediate family, enlarging the child's vision to include a park full of people, a hillside of homes by the bay, and finally, a shuttle's-eye view of the earth's curve, with the moon and stars lying beyond. The last double-page spread carries the piano music and four verses of the song, followed by a historical note. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration for Ellington Was Not a Street (2004), Nelson envisions the song in a highly personal and involving manner while embodying its strength and spirit.

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

The expression of bliss and wonder on the face of the boy on the cover reflects this book's mood. Each double-page spread picks up a line of the African-American spiritual ("He's got the / wind and the clouds / in His hands") and the oil and watercolor paintings show the boy often with his family out enjoying the world in this joyful picture book. The music is included.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>Nelson uses the old spirituala"offered here, astonishingly, in its first singleton, illustrated edition, though it's available in many collectionsa"as a springboard to celebrate family togetherness. Each line of a four-verse version of the lyric captions an intimate scene of an African-American lad, three sibs (one, lighter-skinned, perhaps adopted) and two parents in various combinations, posing together in both city (San Francisco) and country settings, sharing "the moon and the stars," "the wind and the clouds," "the oceans and the seas," and so on. Sandwiched between views of, more or less, the whole world, Nelson alternates finished paintings in his characteristic strong, bold style with authentically childlike crayon drawings done with his left handa"demonstrating a superb ability to evoke both grand and naA ve effects. Moving, reverent, spiritual indeed. (musical arrangement to close) (Picture book. 5-7)</p>

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The popular spiritual finds new life as a picture book celebrating diversity and community. An African-American boy is at the heart of the lyrics featured here experiencing the song's universal sentiments firsthand. The line "He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands" is accompanied by the boy's crayon drawing of his multiethnic family; the same family is shown flying kites in an illustration of "He's got the wind and the clouds in His hands." The greatness of Earth, moon and sea are also seen with awe through the boy's eyes. Nelson's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Salt in His Shoes) interpretation remains wide-reaching in its themes, yet still intimate via his protagonist's view. The warm, joyous result encourages readers to apply the song to their own lives and situations. The artist's mix of watercolor, oil and pencil creates often velvety-looking portraits and textured details in blades of grass or folds of clothing. A painting of the yellow-slickered boy in front of a wall of glistening green leaves, letting his face be splashed by raindrops is particularly engaging. Ages 4-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Nelson's vibrant signature illustrations rendered in pencil, oil, and watercolor breathe new meaning and life into this favorite Sunday school spiritual in which families, communities, and forces of nature are celebrated with lively images and inspiring scenes. The cover painting of an African-American boy against a colorful landscape beckons readers inside to discover the wonders of creation. With each page turn and line of verse, Nelson gives fresh, thought-provoking interpretations to the lyrics that will stir the imagination and spark discussion. For example, "He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands" depicts the boy, present throughout the book, holding a childlike drawing of people of different races and skin tones, suggesting the notion that all humanity should be viewed as "brothers and sisters." The simple, repetitious flow of the words and the refrain make this an excellent read-aloud choice as well as a sing-along favorite. A moving, artistic celebration of our world and the people who share in its splendors.-Tracy Bell, Eastway Elementary School, Durham, NC Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.