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Dark Was the Night
  • Published: 25 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781524738884
  • Imprint: Nancy Paulsen Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $40.00

Dark Was the Night

Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars

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EBook
25 Aug 2020
Hardback
25 Nov 2020
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The poignant story of Blind Willie Johnson--the legendary Texas musician whose song "Dark Was the Night" was included on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record

The poignant story of Blind Willie Johnson--the legendary Texas musician whose song "Dark Was the Night" was included on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record

Willie Johnson was born in 1897, and from the beginning he loved to sing--and play his cigar box guitar. But his childhood was interrupted when he lost his mother and his sight. How does a blind boy make his way in the world? Fortunately for Willie, the music saved him and brought him back into the light. His powerful voice, combined with the wailing of his slide guitar, moved people. Willie made a name for himself performing on street corners all over Texas. And one day he hit it big when he got a record deal and his songs were played on the radio. Then in 1977, his song--"Dark Was the Night"--was chosen to light up the darkness when it was launched into space on the Voyager I space probe's famous Golden Record. His immortal song was selected for the way it expresses the loneliness humans all feel, while reminding us we're not alone.
  • Published: 25 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781524738884
  • Imprint: Nancy Paulsen Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $40.00
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About the authors

Gary Golio

A visual artist, musician, and psychotherapist, Gary Golio is the author of the New York Times-bestselling picture book Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, which received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, as did his recent Calkins Creek book Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem. Gary’s other titles, most of which profile important artists, include When Bob Met Woody, Strange Fruit, Sonny Rollins Plays the Bridge, and The Soldier’s Friend. He lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, children’s book author Susanna Reich. Visit garygolio.com.
portrait photo of Gary Golio

E. B. Lewis

The recipient of a Caldecott Honor and an Orbis Pictus Award, along with many others, E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than seventy books for children. His Calkins Creek titles include Invincible by Wade Hudson, Seeking Freedom by Selene Castrovilla, and Lizzie Demands a Seat by Beth Anderson, which won Bank Street College of Education's Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for excellence in nonfiction, along with many other honors. He is also the illustrator of Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem, also by Gary Golio. Visit eblewis.com for more information.
portrait photo of E. B. Lewis

Praise for Dark Was the Night

Spirit Seeker: The Musical Journey of John Coltrane, by Gary Golio
     * "Lyrically narrated . . . deeply respectful of both subject and audience."--Kirkus STAR
     * "The dizzying heights and lowest moments of John Coltrane's life are portrayed with energy and care."--PW STAR

Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World, by Gary Golio
     * "Exemplary . . . an immersive experience that will captivate readers and bring them to a greater understanding of an artist."--Booklist STAR

Preaching to the Chickens, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (by Jabari Asim)
     "The poignant, observant watercolors . . . are bathed in subtly changing light, making homespun scenes of country life seem celestial and exalted."--NY Times Book Review

Each Kindness, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (by Jacqueline Woodson)
     "Lewis dazzles with frame-worthy illustrations, masterful use of light guiding readers' emotional responses."--Kirkus
     "Lewis embraces the effects of light like an Impressionist, while his creative, often cinematic uses of point of view add resonance to the story."--BCCB