CHILDREN'S LITERATURE LEGACY AWARD WINNER • CORETTA SCOTT KING ILLUSTRATOR AWARD WINNER • A stunning and deeply moving picture book based on the popular spiritual from an award-winning author and critically acclaimed illustrator. The classic lyrics have been reworked to chronicle the milestones, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of African American history. A perfect gift or timeless keepsake!

★ "Gorgeous and enlightening."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

This inspirational book encapsulates African American history and invites conversations at all levels. Stretching more than four hundred years, this book features pivotal moments in history, such as the arrival of enslaved people in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619; Nat Turner's rebellion; the integration of the US military; the Selma to Montgomery marches; and peaceful present-day protests. It also celebrates the feats of African American musicians and athletes, such as Duke Ellington and Florence Griffith Joyner.

Visually stunning and incredibly timely, this book reckons with a painful history while serving as a testament to the human spirit's ability to persevere in even the most hopeless of circumstances. Its universal message of faith, strength, and resilience will resonate with readers of all ages.

Carole Boston Weatherford’s riveting text and Frank Morrison’s evocative and detailed paintings are informative reminders of yesterday, hopeful images for today, and aspirational dreams of tomorrow.

* The end of the book includes descriptions of the people, places, and events featured, along with a note from the author.

WINNER | 2023
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

★ "A richly illustrated, informative picture book that will leave readers humming and spark a desire to learn more." —The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Gorgeous and enlightening, nourishing both mind and soul."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Truly elegant."—Booklist, starred review

★ “An evocative use of prayer as old-school protest with a history lesson that is as lilting as a ballad.” —School Library Journal, starred review

★ “Weatherford and Morrison successfully elevate a classic song, rendering it as relevant and profound across time.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A love letter to the Black community...The book is a lesson, a tribute and an inspiration that should work as both an excellent read-aloud and potential sing-along." —Shelf Awareness

Carole Boston Weatherford is a two-time NAACP Image Award winner, ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award winner, and the author of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award–winning Standing in the Need of Prayer; Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, which won the Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Awards, a Caldecott Honor, and a Sibert Honor; the Newbery Honor book Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom; and the Caldecott Honor books Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. She also serves as the 2025-2026 Young People’s Poet Laureate. Weatherford was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where she now resides. View titles by Carole Boston Weatherford

Frank Morrison started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. It wasn’t until he visited the Louvre Museum in Paris with his dance group that he realized painting was his true creative path. His work has been featured at Art Basel, SCOPE Miami Beach, and Red Dot art fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He is the illustrator of over twenty children’s books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winners Standing in the Need of Prayer and R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books Little Melba and Her Big Trombone and Let the Children March. Frank now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. View titles by Frank Morrison

Discussion Guide for Standing in the Need of Prayer

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Awards

WINNER | 2023
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

Reviews

Author

Guides

Discussion Guide for Standing in the Need of Prayer

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.