Title: “Let it Shine”
Author and Illustrator: Ashley Bryan
Publisher and Year: Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2007
Number of Pages: 37
Tags: Diversity, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, Poetry, Stephanie Rudi
Genres: Poetry
Analysis: “Let it Shine” is three spiritual songs that are given illustrations and there is no real story here but definitely a message. The three spirituals are “This Little Light of Men”, “When the Saints Go Marching In”, and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. They are all traditional African spirituals and the illustrations are complementary to the text and adds a more to the song lyrics.
This book is a window into African culture because it is not a story but rather a reflection of the images and colors of their culture. Perceptually, we see African people that look like they are acting out the song. They appear to be cut out of colored paper just like the other illustrations and background. It’s very visually stunning and we see many different colors of people.
From an ideological perspective, it is clear that this book is very sensitive of the culture being represented. The children all look like their ethnicity and presented in a positive light. They are wearing crowns and are shown high on the page, which according to picture book codes, is showing them as being powerful. They hold hands on many of the pages to signify unity among tribes and possibly in a broader perspective, the world.
The author’s note is particularly important because it discusses the fact these songs came from the African American slaves who did not have freely although the songs themselves have been sung freely throughout the world throughout the years. The whole book is pretty much a tribute to the slaves who wrote these beautiful songs of freedom.
