HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS by Kadir Nelson

1. Bibliographic data

Nelson, Kadir. 2005. He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. 0-8037-2850-6.

2. Plot summary

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson illustrates the spiritual “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” on 30 pages of artwork. Nelson pairs each verse with glimpses of the world, San Francisco, and a multi-ethnic family enjoying life and each other.

3. Critical Analysis

Kadir Nelson’s He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands visually depicts the 13 verses of the well-known song. While this spiritual was created decades ago, Nelson manages to transform its lyrics into expressions of the modern world through his artwork. This is a great children’s book on many levels.

Nelson's art is beautiful and has great depth in meaning and significance. The first page catches the reader and draws them into the book. Nelson starts with the first lyric “He’s got the whole world in his hands” and shows the sun peaking out from the side of the earth, surrounded by blackness and specks of stars. As Nelson zooms in on a young San Franciscan family, the reader is given detailed snapshots of the time they spend together. One feels truly feels as if they are just a few feet away, behind a camera lens. Nelson’s use of crayons, pencils, oils, and watercolors is powerful and real – filled with joy and light. Each picture is matched beautiful to a line of verse, and evokes feelings of awe, contentment, celebration, family, acceptance, and compassion for people all over the world.

Another great element of picture book is the message it sends: the world is filled with all different kinds of people and places, and they are all in His hands. This message is one of equality, acceptance, and human compassion. It also shows the world on many levels: global, local, and within a family. This book depicts the world as a beautiful place that is to be enjoyed. I also think that He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands gives a sense of security to the world; after all, it is in His hands.

While the text is very repetitive, “He’s got the ___ in His Hands,” the story is far from dull. Words such as oceans, seas, whole world, my brothers, and my sisters (some of the things that are in His hands) are larger in size than the rest of the verse. This highlights their importance in relation to the picture surrounding them, and gives the verse an appearance similar to a mountain range with valleys and peaks.

The merits of this book are many and there is no doubt in my mind that it would be wonderful for any person to read. Filled with heartwarming images and message of hope, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands is a great book for readers of all ages.

4. Review Excerpts

"The artist's mix of watercolor, oil and pencil creates often velvety-looking portraits and textured details in blades of grass or folds of clothing. A painting of the yellow-slickered boy in front of a wall of glistening green leaves, letting his face be splashed by raindrops is particularly engaging.” - Publishers Weekly

“The simple, repetitious flow of the words and the refrain make this an excellent read-aloud choice as well as a sing-along favorite. A moving, artistic celebration of our world and the people who share in its splendors.” – School Library Journal (starred)

“A series of double-page spreads show the boy with family (particularly his father) engaged in a variety of activities: flying kites, fishing, doing a jigsaw puzzle of the earth. In the end, the scenes move away from the immediate family, enlarging the child's vision to include a park full of people, a hillside of homes by the bay, and finally, a shuttle's-eye view of the earth's curve, with the moon and stars lying beyond. The last double-page spread carries the piano music and four verses of the song, followed by a historical note. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration for Ellington Was Not a Street (2004), Nelson envisions the song in a highly personal and involving manner while embodying its strength and spirit.” - Booklist

5. Connections

Activity:

Using He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands as positive example, have students pick a song as a class and draw pictures for each verse. Encourage them to think outside of the box and visually express the language in a new or abstract way.