With a setting in the Great Depression, this is a picture book biography of Annie Morgan, a young girl in the mountains of Appalachia. Her mother died suddenly, and now Annie and her itinerent preacher father travel the country, stopping in small towns to preach a little gospel, and raise enough money for gas, food, and to give away to other poor people.
On the town square of Murphy, North Carolina, where the sheriff is encouraging them to move along, Annie steps forward to sing a haunting new song. John Jacob Niles, a balladeer and composer, is in the crowd, and he asks Annie to repeat the song until he has all the words recorded.
Words and music to the song are included, and an author's note by Gwenyth Swain further explains the basis of this story. The watercolor illustrations by Ronald Himler are just about perfect to convey the atmosphere and historical setting of the story. If you read this during the holiday season, it will add new meaning to this well-known hymn.
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