This is a lovely children's book that tells the story of the evolution of Gospel music entwined with the history of the Black experience from pre-colonial America era to the present. The text is comprised of poetry by Toyomi Igus which highlights gospel music history. The illustrations are lovely and the quilt motif connections to intergenerational heritage adds nuance to the complex history of Gospel music. The list of recommended music provided with the book is an excellent accompaniment and you can explore and listen to and discuss the music by era. Although presented as a children's book, this book works for a wide range of ages.


Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A book everyone who is a teacher or a parent needs in their classroom/life. I really enjoyed every aspect of this one from the story to the unique artwork. It remains to be one of my favorite children's arcs that I have read.

I loved everything about this book. The illustrations are outstanding and the text will entertain everyone from toddlers to adults. The history of African-American gospel music is explored in-depth and I learned quite a bit. The book is informative enough to use to build a fun lesson. Highly recommended!

A great introduction to the history of Gospel music. I found the timeline along the bottom helpful.

Clap Your Hands is a beautifully illustrated book on the history of gospel music. Using poetry to tell the story, and incorporating extra facts and a continuous timeline throughout, this book covers gospel history in a way that makes gospel central to Black history in the USA and that makes Black history central to gospel music. This is one of those books that you can't help but be entranced by. The history is thorough, the poetry is engaging, and the illustrations are a high point.

Christianity is obviously a core component of gospel music, so it is expected that it plays a large role here. I definitely felt like it wasn't interested including Black history that was more attached to other faiths though, which left the timeline feeling a touch incomplete. I suspect that Black children from families of other faiths will feel less included in the USA's Black history and more proselytized to than anything.

I would recommend this book to kids interested in gospel music, music in general, or Black history in general. I'd also recommend it for parents looking to share these things with their kids.

The history of Gospel music intertwines with the history of Black people in America. The poems are o.k., sometimes capturing the rhythms of the music they describe, but sometimes awkward and a bit forced. However, the illustrations are what make this book rise to the top. Full of movement like the music, filled with symbolism, they will captivate readers. A historical timeline and sidebar explanations help place the music in its historical context. The end matter includes a discography, various notes and a book list for further reading. This book that honestly shows the injustices experienced by Black Americans while also expressing faith and joy is recommended for readers of all ages.

A fasinating history of gospel and how it has evolved with Black history. From its begingings with the Black enslaved people brought from Africa, to the present day gospel.

A timeline is included with each step of the way, with context to understand any of the shifts in gospel singing, and how it has endured since Black people were forced to come to America.

This is a revised edition, with more current history. There is a section in the back with more detail about each era of music.

Fascinating look at the evolution of this music genre, and how much it means to the people who sing it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This book shares the history of black gospel music. It includes a timeline of important events that influenced the creation of gospel music from the year 1485 to the present. Gospel music has always emanated from the hardships that African Americans and Black Americans have faced.

Interspersed with the timeline of events are beautiful poems and rich cultural illustrations depicting times of suffering and joy. You will read about Harriet Tubman, Richard Allen, minister of the first independent black denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mahalia, The Little Rock 9, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Azusa Street Revival led by Pastor Seymour, Louis Armstrong, Thomas Dorsey, the Winans family, The Tuskegee Institute and the Tuskegee Airmen, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sam Cooke and more recent urban gospel and rap artists such as Kirk Franklin, Mandisa, Lecrae, and others.

I will share a piece of the beautiful poetry. Slaves were not allowed to have their own churches, so they gathered in the woods to sing praise to God. “Mama sang....

“Glory!” she says and “Glory!” we repeat and repeat
as our souls fill with song and rise to greet the heavens,
the one place where we belong.”

This book is best suited for Junior High and up, though the illustrations are colorful and beautiful and might appeal to children, the amount of detailed information covered and the mature content of some of the historical events, such as lynchings, make it better suited for an older audience. Adults will find much beauty to explore in the illustrations and poetry.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Clap your Hands to the rhythm. Clap your hands to the rhythm of Africa, the motherland of humanity. I see the rhythm of my people, land and sprint in harmony.


Clap Your Hands presents African-American history through the evolution of gospel music from the beginning of slavery to present day. Each page from start to finish is illustrated with vibrant colors of the African culture. A timeline is on the bottom of each page with significant changes, acts of violence, and times of hope. Gospel music brings hope to all people. The history of Gospel music was born of oppression and evil men.

This is a good resource and the hope that it gives in gospel words to everyone. It is meant to be shared with your family. It begins in our own hearts and applied to our homes to reach our world for change.

There's no justice, no peace for us.. not yet. We all bleed the same. So tell me why, tell my why. We're divided Love will prevail. I see the rhythm of a world that's free so let's clap our hands to those rhythms created for you and me EQUALLY

A Special Thank you to Zonderkidz and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A book to treasure, teach, and reread often. Ideal for reading with children and ready for the classroom shelf.

What a beautiful book! The rhythm, the timeline, the illustrations, the bibliography - all of it! I hope more people buy this book AND the CD. I read the NetGalley version.

Beautiful illustrations! Provides history of Gospel music within the timeline of major events in American events from the time of the first slaves brought to the new world through today's current events. Poetic language keeps the story of Gospel music flowing alongside the illustrations.

When I read the name of the book I immediately thought of John P. Kee's song, Clap your hands. This book takes you on a narrative and visual journey. The art, facts, words and poetry follow the Africans captured as slaved to the shore of America, and the struggles they face there. You will cry and laugh. You will experience sorrow and joy. Every household should have a copy of this book. I hope it is also placed within the African American museum.

A poignant, engaging, brilliant book that tells the story of gospel's evolution and the history of the black experience from precolonial America all the way to present day America. The illustrations are so vibrant. I appreciated the use of the geometric quilt patterns throughout the book. The quilt motif played on a visual reference that is both historic and modern looking, which connects well with written content-- history and heritage carried through generations and that overarching pushing forward/pulled back, progress/regression pattern that is shown in the timeline. The poetry is beautiful and grounded by a well-constructed timeline. There is a lot of information to unpack in this book, which should lead to deep conversations. I think this book works for a wide range of ages. The discography is good, but I hope this book is launched with an audio component. It is the perfect opportunity to be innovative with audio and written content. I look forward to buying this book.

Clap Your Hands: A Celebration of Gospel is a beautiful picture book featuring vibrant illustrations of moments in African American History and in particular, the history of gospel music. The text is comprised of poetry by Toyomi Igus highlighting different eras of gospel music history. The book also has a timeline running throughout that shows significant moments in African American History.

This is a great book if you are looking to educate your child or yourself about gospel music. I also like that it included a list of recommended music at the end of the book. This book is good for 4th grade or older. There is a lot of information in this book and it might be best to go through it an era at a time so that you can discuss the history of that era and perhaps listen to some of the recommended tracks.

<i>I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. </i>