When children are encouraged to celebrate their lives — their joys, their influences, their hopes — the results are pure poetry.
Black is dark, dark is lovely,
lovely is the palm of my heart
and my heartbeats are filled with joy
When children are encouraged to celebrate their lives – their joys, their influences, their hopes – the results are pure poetry. Honest, wise, and inspiring, each of the twenty poems in this dazzling collection resounds with the unique rhythms of life, as seen through the eyes of African American children.
Davida Adedjouma is a writer, actor and teacher. She is the author of Last Summer, a collection of short stories, and the recipient of numerous literary awards and fellowships. Born in Chicago, she now lives in New York City. This is her first picture book.
R. Gregory Christie is the recipient of numerous awards including a Caldecott Honor and six Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honors, and his books have been recognized by The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books list three times. He currently paints in the evenings while traveling around the country doing school visits. You can visit him online at gas-art.com.
American Library Association (ALA)
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
"Christie's long, angular images are reminiscent of Masai warriors with long graceful necks, wearing pride in their postures. The acrylic-and-pen renderings never outpace the simple, humble passages that reflect children who have discovered the power of the written word and their own inner strength."
"The 20 poems that Adedjouma gathered..ranged seamlessly, and the selections are life-affirming, brimming with self-awareness, and written in a celebration of African American culture..s interpretations of the text..very page and double-spread to convey a distinct story, mood, or tribute to the culture."
"(Multicultural Guide, Board or Education of the City of New York) The poems are sensitive, positive, emotional, and can serve as wonderful discussion starters on issues of culture, slavery, and self-esteem."
