"And God stepped out on space,
And he looked around and said:
I'm lonely -- I'll make me a world."

-- James Weldon Johnson

Thus begins Coretta Scott King Award-winner Ashley Bryan's collection of inspiring excerpts of poems by celebrated African American poets. Beautifully illustrated with his own tempera and gouache paintings, Ashley Bryan's unique alphabet book will delight readers of any age.

Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry

ANNOTATION

Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a line from a poem by different African American poets, describing an aspect of the black experience.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"And God stepped out on space,

And he looked around and said:

I'm lonely — I'll make me a world."

— James Weldon Johnson

Thus begins Coretta Scott King Award-winner Ashley Bryan's collection of inspiring excerpts of poems by celebrated African American poets. Beautifully illustrated with his own tempera and gouache paintings, Ashley Bryan's unique alphabet book will delight readers of any age.

SYNOPSIS

This brilliantly illustrated book highlights a specific letter of the alphabet in each of the 26 poems.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

This is the artist's introduction to the poetry-in whole or part-of 25 writers and one spiritual. Mr. Bryan's vibrant, full-page tempera and gouache paintings were inspired by the words they illustrate.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4The alphabet takes a back seat to the poetry and is lightheartedly wrestled into compliance as an organizational device in this exultant celebration of African-American writers. Each full-page entry features a short poem or poem fragment, surrounded by Bryan's vivid tempera and gouache paintings. To make this work as an alphabet book, the artist often takes the featured letter from a word within the poem, sometimes even a letter within a word (for "X," "Without eXpectation/there is no end/to the shock of morning/or even a small summer" from Audre Lorde's "Summer Oracle"). The letter is set off at the top and the poet's name fills the bottom frame of the painting. The selections, many of which will be unfamiliar to children, display a loving acquaintance with poets from James Weldon Johnson to Rita Dove. While there is a full range of emotions, joy and pride predominate. Some pieces will elicit appreciative chuckles, even a guffaw or two. An acknowledgments page lists the source of each selection. This marvelous introduction should inspire many readers to seek out other works by these writers. While the format and the lively illustrations mark this as a children's book, the pleasure that both word and picture will give to involved adults will enhance the shared experience.Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL