Review: Hip Hop Speaks to Children

The tagline of Hip Hop Speaks to Children describes the book perfectly - A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat. Edited by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by a team of five illustrators, this treasury is a feast of color and sound.

An audio CD is enclosed that features a range of poets reading their work from Langston Hughes to Queen Latifah. There are so many excellent poems, it is hard to choose a favorite. Often when you read poetry, you wonder if you are reading exactly what the poet intended. One of my favorites, "Books" by Eloise Greenfield is read by the author in the exact way I imagined it would be.

I've got
books on the bunk bed
books on the chair
books on the couch
And every old where
But I want more books
just can't get enough
want more books about
All kinds of stuff, like

Jackie's troubles. Raymond's joys
Rabbits, kangaroos, Girls and Boys
Mountains, valleys, Winter, spring
Camp fires, vampires

Every old thing
I want to
Lie down on my bunk bed!

Lean back in
my chair
Curl up on the
couch
And every old
where
And
read
more
books!

From recognized and honored poets like Gwendolyn Brooks and W.E.B. DuBois to today's musical artists such as Tupac Shakur and Stetsasonic, the range of experience captured by these African American writers is varied, rich, and deeply personal.

The book and CD culminate in Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech which we've heard much of recently during Barack Obama's election. It had been awhile since I'd heard the speech almost in its entirety. It gave me shivers. It was followed by a wonderful performance piece by Nikki Giovanni, Oni Lasana and Val Gray Ward based on the same speech.

This is a book that deserves to be pulled off the shelf again and again. The layers of meaning to these poems will unfold as a child grows older and more sophisticated. The book and CD together make a wonderful resource for home, school or library. It is truly one of the best books I've read this year.

Celebrate I Love Libraries Month

February is "I love libraries" month. Of course for me, every month is "I love libraries month," but I'm happy to have a special occasion to celebrate the wonderful work that school and public libraries do throughout the country.

This photo from Lester Public Library in Two Rivers, Wisconsin (courtesy of Flickr) is called "Taking a Break at the Library." First of all, how wonderful is it that they have stuffed animals for kids to love on at this library, but secondly it's a terrific image pairing books and stuffed animals - kids get the message that they can love both.

Most book lovers have never met a library or a bookstore they didn't like. As the economic downturn has accelerated in these last few months, circulation and visitation of local public libraries is at an all-time high. Folks are turning to their local libraries for entertainment as well as access to information on job opportunities and skill development. Ironically, during these boom days in public libraries, funding for public libraries is close to an all-time low.

Here is a fab site that provides lots of ideas as to how we can all support our community libraries. And here is the "I Love Libraries" site supported by the American Library Association. Both sites have a wealth of information about books, authors, illustrators, bloggers, and libraries.

Poetry Friday - Emily Dickinson #657

I dwell in Possibility -
A fairer House than Prose -
More numerous of Windows -
Superior - for Doors -

Of Chambers as the Cedars -
Impregnable of Eye -
And for an Everlasting Roof -
The Gambrels of the Sky -

Of Visitors - the - fairest -
For Occupation - This -
The spreading wide my narrow Hands -
To gather Paradise -



For more verses for Poetry Friday, visit Wild Rose Reader. Enjoy.

Review: Michelle Obama - Meet the First Lady

Just in time for the inauguration festivities, several publishers released biographies of President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle for young readers. While there is not much new information about our charismatic First Lady, author David Bergen Brophy has written a credible and easy to understand account for readers aged 8-12.

The overarching story of Michelle Robinson Obama's life is that if you work hard, study hard, keep your family together, and think about someone other than yourself, the United States is still what most of us like to think it is, a place where anyone who works at it can make a good life for themselves and their family.

In this way, Michele Obama's story is a reassuring reminder to all of us that success is not so much luck as hard work. For children of color, her story and that of her husband's serve as beacons to the value of a good education and hard work. In our pop celebrity-filled world, kids can be forgiven for thinking that there are shortcuts to success.

Author Brophy makes it clear in this telling of Michelle Obama's story that her success would not have been possible without hard work and a good education. But beyond that, it is the passion that she shares with her husband about living outside your own desires to help those who need our help that clearly sets her apart from most of today's celebrities. Yes, she is beautiful and stylish and charismatic. But she is also a devoted wife, mother, daughter and sister. She gathers her strength from her family and her conviction that we must all look outside ourselves to help and to speak for those who need us.

I hope that the Obamas' call to public and social service will change our country once again, reminding all of us that we who are so blessed have an obligation to share ourselves with those who need our help. As Michelle said in her speech at the Denver Democratic Convention:

"I believe that all of us - no matter what our age and background or walk of life - each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation."

This is an extraordinary time in our country's history and as we saw this week during the Inauguration ceremonies, there is more that unites us than divides us as Americans, and that is what we should focus on.

Another review of this book can be found here.

Review: Coretta Scott

There is so much about this book to like. With poetry by Ntozake Shange and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, this mini biography of Coretta Scott King is direct, simple, and inspirational.

Kadir Nelson's paintings are absolutely luminous. Full of light and emotion, the faces in particular tell a deep and moving story of the life journey of these characters. I was fortunate enough to hear Kadir speak about his work several years ago at a conference and learned that for much of his work, he paints life-size portraits. The figures in his books are always so impactful that there must be some magic in this method because his paintings are always so evocative.

Ntozake Shange's poetry does not disappoint. Deceptively, simple, there are layers of meaning in her carefully crafted words. The book's organization is in short vignettes that capture the various stages of Coretta's life. You can feel the pain and the hope of Coretta and her siblings as they walk the five miles to school each day with the dust of the white children's bus in their faces. Each verse is wonderful in its own way. This is one of my favorites:

over years
learning and freedom
took hold of Coretta's soul
til she knew in her being
that the Good Lord intended freedom
for the Negro.

At the end of the book there is a factual biography of Coretta's life that honors Coretta for the work that she did with her husband, Martin Luther King, and on her own after his death.

This book is a wonderful introduction to one of the great American stories of the 20th century.

Review: The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

This year I went shopping for a Christmas story for my five-year-old nephew. When I looked at the range of titles on display, before I realized it, my hand had picked up The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. In so many ways, it was the perfect book for him.

Although it is a very sweet story of love and hope fulfilled in an earlier time than ours, it isn't necessarily a simpler time because the story occurs during and immediately following World War I. It was a time of such upheaval in the world that it reached even to the farthest places in the Appalachian Mountains where the story takes place.

The real connection for my nephew is that his mother went to school not far from where this story takes place at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. And he actually has come to visit a friend in a cabin in Maggie Valley - also in the same mountain range. Since he lives in Florida where there is not much of a chance for a white Christmas, I know that he will be able to relate this story to his post-Christmas visits in our snowy mountains.

There doesn't have to be a personal connection for a story to have an impact on us, of course, but I think it's a lovely bonus when there is one. This story by Gloria Houston and illustrated by Barbara Cooney is one of the handful of modern classic Christmas stories that stands the test of time year after year. It is a story that is gently told and beautifully illustrated about love and hope and the magic of Christmas.

Review: Singing to the Sun

What a beautiful storybook this is. This new fairy tale by Vivian French unfolds as it should and Jackie Morris' illustrations are lush and gorgeous. Renaissance motifs and jewel tones bring this magical story alive.

In all good fairy tales, there is a clear depiction of good and evil and Singing to the Sun follows this tradition. Our hero is raised in a loveless home by a father focused on power and a mother focused on wealth. He is watched over and nurtured by the court jester and a wise tabby cat.

When he leaves his home to find his fortune, adventure and surprises are in store. There is a unique twist at the end of the story which brings the story to a delightful and satisfactory conclusion. This is a book to linger over and read again and again with your favorite child.