I listened to this on hoopla and can not reccommend it highly enough.
What a pleasure. ( )

I love this poetry book and its versatility! The language is simple enough to understand so that it can be enjoyed by or taught to virtually any age. It includes poems but also song literature including the African American national anthem. One thing that stood out to me about this book was that I knew most of its authors, which include Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King Jr, Langston Hughes, and Phillis Wheatley-- I also knew that they were not all poets but politicians, songwriters, and historical slaves. The poems are inspiring and speak to the resiliency and integrity that the African American culture has brought to the United States and its history as well as to students that need a spark for the underdog. Loved this poem collection and will definitely have it on the shelves of my class library. ( )

This is a good book when looking at cultures! It is written by Clinton who also writes adults women history books. The information is displayed in a nice way and is easy to understand! It can be included in the classroom during multicultural week and students can do further reach to find types of foods to bring in that were celebrated and made by certain cultures. Those foods can be added to our class feast that we have one day during the multicultural week! ( )

I really like how the book gives biographies of each of the poets to help the reader better understand the context the poem was written in. This is a nice collection of poems the show the struggles African Americans have gone through. I think the illustrations are pretty but don't really show the vibrance of life that the poems depict. ( )

This is an exceptional book with a fine selection of poetry from often ignored Black voices supplemented by wonderfully developed and thought provoking illustrations aimed at a young adult audience. This one of the books that we highlingt during Black history month in my library. ( )