Synopses & Reviews
Sterling proudly announces an exciting and vibrant addition to
Poetry for Young People: The first African-American themed book in the series, featuring the poems of the extraordinary Langston Hughes. Edited by the two leading experts on Hughess work, and illustrated by the brilliant Benny Andrews, this very special volume is one to treasure forever.
A much-requested book that was years in the making…and well worth the wait. One of the central figures in the Harlem Renaissance—the flowering of black culture that took place in the 1920s and 30s—Langston Hughes captured the soul of his people, and gave voice to their concerns about race and social justice. His magnificent and powerful words still resonate today: thats why its so important for young people to have access to his poems. Now they do, in a splendid volume edited and illustrated by a top-caliber team who are simply the best in their fields.
The introduction, biography, and annotations come from Arnold Rampersad, a Professor and Dean at Stanford University, who has written The Life of Langston Hughes, and David Roessel, co-editor with Professor Rampersad of The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes and editor of the Langston Hughes collection in Knopfs Everyman series. Benny Andrews—a painter, printmaker, and arts advocate whose work is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian, among others—has created gallery-quality illustrations that pulse with energy and add rich dimension to the poems.
Among the anthologized poems are Hughess best-known and most loved works: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”; “Aunt Sues Stories”; “Danse Africaine”; “Mother to Son”; “My People”; “Words Like Freedom”; “Harlem”; and “I, Too”—his sharp, pointed response to Walt Whitmans earlier “I Hear America Singing.”
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes is a publishing event for all to celebrate.
A Selection of the Scholastic Book Club.
Review
"This will be a welcome introduction to Hughes's poetry for elementary students, and it includes sufficient detail to make it useful and enjoyable for older students." School Library Journal
Review
"Whether the focus is the Harlem Renaissance, the political struggle, Hughes' African heritage, or the weary blues, this book will find great use in many libraries." Booklist
Review
"This title is an excellent addition to the 'Poetry for Young People' series and will be welcomed by librarians, media specialists, teachers, students, and lovers of fabulous poetry showcased by fabulous art." Children's Literature
Review
"Readers will come away with a clear sense of Hughes's influences." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
The first African-American themed book in the series, featuring the poems of the extraordinary Langston Hughes. Edited by the two leading experts on Hughes's work, and illustrated by the brilliant Benny Andrews, this very special volume is one to treasure forever.
A much-requested book that was years in the making...and well worth the wait. One of the central figures in the Harlem Renaissance the flowering of black culture that took place in the 1920s and 30s Langston Hughes captured the soul of his people, and gave voice to their concerns about race and social justice. His magnificent and powerful words still resonate today: that's why it's so important for young people to have access to his poems. Now they do, in a splendid volume edited and illustrated by a top-caliber team who are simply the best in their fields.
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE 2007and#160;CORETTA SCOTT KING ILLUSTRATOR HONOR AWARD!and#160;A fresh design and appealing new cover enliven this award-winning collection in the acclaimed
Poetry for Young People series. Showcasing the extraordinary Langston Hughes, it's edited by two leading poetry experts and features gallery-quality art by Benny Andrews that adds rich dimension to the words. Hughes's magnificent, powerful words still resonate today, and the anthologized poems in this splendid volume include his best-loved works: and#8220;The Negro Speaks of Riversand#8221;; and#8220;My Peopleand#8221;; and#8220;Words Like Freedomand#8221;; and#8220;Harlemand#8221;; and and#8220;I, Tooand#8221;--his sharp, pointed response to Walt Whitman's and#8220;I Hear America Singing.and#8221;
and#160;
About the Author
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, in 1902. He wrote poetry, short stories, autobiography, song lyrics, essays, humor, and plays. A cross section of his work was published in 1958 as
The Langston Hughes Reader.
Arnold Rampersad is Sara Hart Kimball Professor in the Humanities at Stanford University. He is the author of Days of Grace: A Memoir with Arthur Ashe, Jackie Robinson: A Biography, and he edited Collected Poems of Langston Hughes.
Benny Andrews is a renowned African American fine artist whose work is in the permanent collections of more than thirty major museums, including the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Smithsonian Institution. His dramatic, folk art-style illustrations have also appeared in several books for children. Andrews lives and works in New York City and Connecticut.