Rebecca Panitch: Let it Shine by Ashley Bryan

This book provides the text to three different spirituals along with colorful illustrations taking up almost the entire page. There are one to two lines from the spirituals at the bottom of each page, and the illustrations describe what is happening in the text. It is formatted in a logical way in which the lines are distributed evenly throughout each page. This allows the reader/singer to go at a smooth pace in terms of turning the pages (not too fast and not too slow). This book would be great for a young music classroom because it allows young students to connect what they’re seeing, what they’re hearing, and what they’re singing/saying all at once. This is also great for students who don’t know anything about spirituals because they can learn about an important genre of music they are unfamiliar with.