Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review for reading aloud. Family history being told to young Beth by her aunt is the framework for this inspiring story of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers. Beth's great-great-grandmother Ella, who was born into slavery, and who struggled to save enough money to go to Fisk, is based on the real-life Ella Sheppard. Ella didn't save nearly enough, but she went to school anyway, and while there joined the chorus, which went on the road to raise money to repair Fisk's dilapidated buildings. Featuring classical pieces and other songs of white culture, the chorus' concerts drew poorly, but when Ella led the chorus members to sing their own people's spirituals, audiences flocked to hear them. The richly and dramatically told story is well matched by Colon's inspiring artwork. From the cover piece, which features Ella, her eyes closed as she sings, to the final picture, showing Beth and the spirit of Ella behind her, the art, done in Colon's signature scratchboard style infused with gold, has the harmony of the music and the spirit of the Jubilee songs. The book is cataloged as fiction, and the author's note says the story is fiction but based on real events. From the note it appears that most of the events, if not the dialogue and the introduction of the child Beth and her aunt, are factual. An unusual topic translated into a pleasing book. (Reviewed April 15, 1999)

School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 1-5--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

Horn Book

Founded for former slaves in 1866, Fisk School (now Fisk University) had to struggle to survive its early years. Hopkinson tells the fictionalized story of Ella Sheppard, pianist for the Jubilee Singers, who went on tour to raise money for their school and were instrumental in introducing spirituals to the world. Colón's illustrations capture the dignity of the Singers and the eloquence of their performance.

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

In a starred review of this story inspired by a groundbreaking African-American chorus founded in 1871, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW wrote, "Scenes of the chorus lost in song—voices raised, eyes closed—reveal the courage and heart of these trailblazing singers." Ages 5-9. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)