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Amazing Grace: The Story of the Hymn.
Linda Granfield. Illustrated by Janet Wilson.
Subject Headings:
Grades 4 and up / Ages 9 and up. **** /4
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excerpt:
"The ship I was on board as a passenger was on a trading voyage for gold, ivory, dyers wood and bees wax. We were off the coast of Newfoundland. On these banks we stopped half a day to fish for cod. I went to bed that night in my usual security and indifference, but was awakened from a sound sleep by the force of a violent sea which broke on board us; so much of it came down below as filled the cabin I lay in with water. This alarm was followed by a cry from the deck, that the ship was going down or sinking. The sea had torn away the upper timbers on one side. It was astonishing, and almost miraculous, that any of us survived to relate the story. We had but eleven or twelve people to bale the water with buckets and pails."
The creative duo that produced In Flanders Fields: The Story of
the Poem by John McCrae are back with another stunning offering.
From its engaging full-colour cover to its informative map
endpapers, Amazing Grace is a superlative example of bookmaking
and design. Despite the book's limited length, Granfield's text
provides more than adequate information about the life of the
hymn's author, the eighteenth century slave ship captain and
cleric, John Newton, and the dramatic March 24, 1748, happening
which rekindled his religious belief. As well, Granfield also
offers many details about the period's flourishing slave trade
and the conditions faced by both captives and their seafaring
captors. While "Amazing Grace" initially appeared as Hymn 41 in
Newton's 1771 collection, Olney Hymns, it did not achieve any
fame during his lifetime. Granfield also explains that the story
behind the music which is associated the words is much debated.
Wilson's dramatic full-page oil illustrations capture the action
and emotions of the text and are complemented by her smaller
black and white decorative drawings which are scattered
throughout the book. The hymn's words and music are also
supplied.
Despite the book's outward picturebook appearance, its contents are for a more mature audience of grade 4+. Church libraries, as well as school and public libraries, need to make Amazing Grace a "must" purchase!
Highly recommended.
Dave Jenkinson teaches children's and adolescent literature courses at the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © 1997 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - September 19, 1997.
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