When a little child, Langston lived in Kansas with his elderly grandmother who admonished him not to play with other children. In the middle of miles of fields, it reality it was not hard to do. The sheer loneliness was difficult. Abandoned by a mother who wanted to become a successful singer/dancer, and a father who fled the bonds of parenthood and moved to Mexico, this precocious child dug deep into himself and found solace in reading.

Eventually, he was taken in by another family. And, in this experience, he paints wonderful poems of food that is bountiful, of a place to stay that is lovely, and of the ability to find love and accept the sheer power of it all.

Highly recommended! ( )

Biography of young Langston Hughes living with his grand-mother and the life as it was for a poor negro family. The book goes into detail of his mom and dad. The turning point was when Langston could no longer live with his grandmother and was turned over to another family. This became "home " and "family " for Langston. Home where it was always enough. ( )

In this picture book, you are taken into the life of young Langston Hughes. When you read this book you are able to see the hardships Langston Hughes went through in order to become his own person. He went through many trials and tribulations to accomplish his goals. I would read this book to a group of first-second graders because I feel as though they would appreciate it more in depth and understand the concept of his life. ( )

This book helps share the life of one of the famous African-American poets, Langston Hughes. If you are teaching your students about history or let's say it's black history month, I recommend this. It shows you how important home really is and how it helps you become who you are. Although it is rather lengthy, upper elementary would love it. ( )

Lovely picture book the emphasizes the early childhood of Langston Hughes. The vivid illustrations help round out the rich descriptions of Langston's lonely childhood and how his dreams and imagination helped him discover what family and home are. This would be a wonderful book to read prior to studying the Harlem Renaissance because it provides wonderful perspective on why Hughes' poetry and stories were so powerful. The book does not address segregation or racism, which is a shame. But many children may be able to relate to feeling lonely or struggling with a difficult issue, such as poverty or living apart from one or more parent. Very sensitive book. ( )