God Bless the Child (picture book)


God Bless the Child is a 2003 picture book by Jerry Pinkney with the words and music of Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. It is about an African-American family moving from the rural Deep South to urban Chicago during the Great Migration.

Reception

School Library Journal, in a review of God Bless the Child, called it "A moving visual interpretation", wrote "The warm and sweeping illustrations are masterful, completely filling each spread... While a fine choice for independent reading, this title is particularly poignant when shared with a group, turning the pages in conjunction with the CD.", and concluded "This offering makes an excellent tie-in to units on African-American history." SLJ also recommended it "to enrich music classes".
God Bless the Child has also been reviewed by The Horn Book Magazine,Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews,
It was awarded a 2005 Coretta Scott King Award illustrator honor.