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. 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 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. There is deep appreciation in this book and it will be an excellent supplement to library shelves, music and art classes, and historical studies. However, some beauty does live on through their music, even though that music was born of horrific circumstances.

Grady and Wood make it very clear that American slaves didn't sing because they were happy they sang because they were utterly downtrodden. 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. Through the book the songs are provided twice - both with musical notation and without. 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'. Each painting was inspired by a specific song look carefully to find the doves in every piece.

Wood's paintings are bold and evocative yet tender ? ideal for the intended audience. Grady presents a brief history and understanding of each song as well as suggestions for analyzing the accompanying painting. A short introduction provides a history of American slave songs and brief explanation of the book's organization. 'Like a Bird' examines thirteen American slave songs with corresponding paintings. 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'.

Write to Me by Cynthia Grady