Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual

Gr 1-4–Weatherford’s latest deserves to be appreciated in every medium: the ideal experience combines both the print title (and Frank Morrison’s spectacularly vivid art) with Weatherford’s own unforgettable recitation. “Created by and for enslaved people not allowed to read or write, many spirituals are in call-and-response style,” her author’s note explains. “When so moved, singers improvise, adapting the existing lyrics or adding new ones. The text of this book was created in that same spirit, integrating historical and contemporary events that summoned courage and faith.” Weatherford brilliantly adapts the original lyrics to highlight 400 years of key moments of Black resilience, rebellion, and accomplishment—enslaved ancestors, Nat Turner, the Tuskegee Airmen, Ruby Bridges, Black Lives Matter—which she reads with resounding solemnity. Detailed references provide further illumination on her subjects. And then—Weatherford wondrously sings her radiant achievement.