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

A stirring picture book biography from award-winning duo Carole Boston Weatherford and Bryan Collier, about gospel composer and preacher Charles Albert Tindley, best known for the gospel hymn "We'll Understand It Better By and By."

At a time when most African Americans were still enslaved, Charles Tindley was born free. His childhood was far from easy, with backbreaking hours in the fields, and no opportunity to go to school. But the spirituals he heard as he worked made him long to know how to read the Gospel for himself. Late at night, he taught himself to read from scraps of newspapers. From those small scraps, young Charles raised himself to become a founding father of American gospel music whose hymn was the basis for the Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome."

Told in lilting verse with snippets of spirituals and Tindley's own hymns woven throughout, Carole Boston Weatherford's lyrical words and Bryan Collier's luminous pictures celebrate a man whose music and conviction has inspired countless lives.

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 01/14/2020
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 12.10h x 9.00w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781534426368
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.7
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 508586 / By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 11/15/2019 pg. 50
Publishers Weekly 11/18/2019
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2019
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2019
School Library Journal 01/01/2020 pg. 95
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2020 pg. 112
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2020 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Her recent books include By and By, The Roots of Rap, Be a King, How Sweet the Sound, In Your Hands, and The Legendary Miss Lena Horne. Carole lives in North Carolina. Visit her at CBWeatherford.com.

Bryan Collier is a beloved illustrator known for his unique style combining watercolor and detailed collage. He is a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient for Trombone Shorty, Dave the Potter, Martin's Big Words, and Rosa. His books have won many other awards as well, including six Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards. His recent books include By and By, Thurgood, The Five O'Clock Band, and Between the Lines. He lives in New York with his family.