"And that's why there was a party for Langston
at the library. A fancy-foot, get-down, all-out bash.
And all the books on the shelves were listening
and looking at all the people, shimmying, full of dazzle.
Don't nobody dance like a word maker.
And all the best word makers were there."
Following up on the announcement from the ALA Media Awards Ceremony this morning that this debut picture book from Jason Reynolds was named one of the Honor books in the Caldecott category for distinction in illustration, I am happy to share it here.
Where better place to celebrate the legacy of Langston Hughes and his wordsmithing than in a library? In beautifully-scripted words, Jason Reynolds invites readers in for the merrymaking. He helps his audience understand the power in the words Langston penned, and the joy he brought to readers in 'classrooms and in bedrooms'. So much laughter and joy in his poetry!
From the library shelves on the sidelines of the dance floor, other Black writers and poets pay careful attention: James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ashley Bryan, Octavia Butler, Countee Cullen, W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Ralph Ellison, Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neale Hurston and Claude McKay. Where you ask, are Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka? Why, they are right there dancing with the other guests, honoring the man who wrote ...
"his neighborhood as America
and his family as America
and his funky music as America
and America as America, too."
Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey capture the full spirit and joy of this party for Langston. Energetic images, created using handmade stamps, grace every spread with the power of language and the wonder found there. Stylized typography garners attention at every turn of the page. Front endpapers present the library listeners, with additions; at the back, readers will find an author's note and the spines of twelve Langston Hughes' books. Bravo!
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