Awards
Winner of the 2005 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Synopses & Reviews
In a reflective tribute to the African-American community of old, noted poet Ntozake Shange recalls her childhood home and the close-knit group of innovators that often gathered there. These men of vision, brought to life in the majestic paintings of artist Kadir Nelson, lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could sit on a bus or in a movie theater. andlt;BRandgt; Yet in the face of this tremendous adversity, these dedicated souls and others like them not only demonstrated the importance of Black culture in America, but also helped issue in a movement that "changed the world." Their lives and their works inspire us to this day, and serve as a guide to how we approach the challenges of tomorrow.
Review
"At once personal and universal....This is truly a book for all ages, lovely to behold and designed to be revisited." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Deeply colored paintings enrich this homage to African-American men who made history and influenced culture....Exquisite." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Featuring luminous art by Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson, this reflective picture book by poet Ntozake Shange looks back at the great Black thinkers and innovators who visited her father's house. A close-knit group of Black innovators formed their own community in the early to mid-twentieth century. These men of vision lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could sit on a bus or in a movie theater.
Yet in the face of this tremendous adversity, these dedicated souls and others like them not only demonstrated the importance of Black culture in America, but also helped issue in a movement that changed the world. Their lives and their works inspire us to this day and serve as a guide to how we approach the challenges of tomorrow.
Synopsis
With this poem from her first collection of poetry, renowned poet Shange evokes names that are associated with one of the most influential cultural movements of the 20th century the Harlem Renaissance. Full color.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Ntozake Shange,andlt;/Bandgt; poet, novelist, playwright, and performer, wrote the Broadway-produced and Obie Award-winning andlt;iandgt;For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf.andlt;/iandgt; She has also written numerous works of fiction, including andlt;iandgt;Sassafras, Cypress and Indigo, Betsy Brown,andlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Liliane.andlt;/iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Kadir Nelsonandlt;/Bandgt; is the widely acclaimed illustrator of many books for children, including andlt;iandgt;Thunder Rose,andlt;/iandgt; written by Jerdine Nolen, which received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award; andlt;iandgt;Ellington Was Not a Street,andlt;/iandgt; written by Ntozake Shange, which received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; and andlt;iandgt;Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life,andlt;/iandgt; written by Jerdine Nolen, which won the 2005 Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. He is also the illustrator of Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordanand#8217;s andlt;iandgt;Salt in His Shoesandlt;/iandgt; and Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee's andlt;iandgt;Please, Baby, Pleaseandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Please, Puppy, Pleaseandlt;/iandgt;. Kadir Nelson lives with his family in San Diego, California.