Synopses & Reviews
Damon and Blue Just us two
Cruising up the avenue.
With his night-and-day shades and a frame like a "heavyweight boxing machine," it might seem like this guy would be someone to steer clear of....But that's not the way it is. Blue is the best friend a kid could ever have. Blue, who lost one boy to the streets-and is determined that this time will be different. And Damon, whose laugh reminds him of that child, and who, even though he's the "man of the house," knows there's room for a guy like Blue in his life. To shoot hoops with, bounce thoughts off of, to share a laugh and a hot dog with all the works. And to know that at the end of the day there's someone standing steadfast in his corner. Someone true...like Blue.
Drawing on those friendships that have inspired her own extraordinary life, Nikki Grimes creates a poetically realistic tale of that joyous, complicated bond that draws us, one to another. To this Jerome Lagarrigue, in a truly wondrous picture book debut, adds powerful and sensitive paintings that capture the rich moods and atmospheres of the story's Harlem setting.
Review
A great picture book for older readers. (Booklist, starred review)
Review
Heartfelt poems and deeply-hued paintings (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
Synopsis
These are just some of the great reviews and awards that greeted the publication of My Man Blue in May 1999. Nikki Grimes's poetically realistic tale and Jerome Lagarrigue's powerful and sensitive paintings highlight two everyday heroes who discover what it means to be a true friend. Blue, who lost one boy to the streets, is determined that this time will be different. Now Damon has Blue-to shoot hoops with, bounce thoughts off of, to share a laugh and a hot dog with all the works. Someone standing steadfast in Damon's corner. Someone true-like Blue.
About the Author
Nikki Grimes is the award-winning,
New York Times bestselling author of dozens of childrens and young adult books as well as a poet and journalist.
Among the many accolades she has received are the Golden Dolphin Award (2005),the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children (2006), the Coretta Scott King Award (2003) for Bronx Masquerade, and the Horace Mann Upstanders Award (2011) for Almost Zero: A Dyamonde Daniel Book. Additionally, her book Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope (illustrated by Bryan Collier) was a New York Times bestseller, and she was acknowledged as an NAACP Image Award Finalist in 1993 for her book Malcolm X: a Force for Change. Her books Meet Danitra Brown (illustrated by Floyd Cooper), Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie (illustrated by E.B. Lewis), Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings were each awarded Coretta Scott King Honors. Visit her online at www.nikkigrimes.com.