What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals

This luminous illustrated songbook presents five spirituals that tell the story of the Nativity.

Young readers will delight in the exquisite cast of human, animal, and heavenly creatures. The collection includes: “My Lord, What a Morning!”, “Mary Had a Baby”, “Go, Tell It on the Mountain”, “Sister Mary Had-a But One Child”, and “Behold That Star!.” Simple arrangements for singing, piano and guitar and a useful note for teachers, parents, and instrumentalists are also included in this book.

John Meredith Langstaff (1920–2005) was a music educator and author who created the Christmas Revels and wrote the Caldecott Medal–winning children’s book Frog Went A-Courtin’.

Ashley Bryan (1923–2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he shared the joy of song with children. A beloved illustrator, he was named a Newbery Honoree for his picture book, Freedom Over Me. He also received the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; was a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer; a Coretta Scott King Award winner; and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. His books include Freedom Over Me; Sail Away; Beautiful Blackbird; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum; Let It Shine; Ashley Bryan’s Book of Puppets; and What a Wonderful World. He lived in Islesford, one of the Cranberry Isles off the coast of Maine.