Ellington Was Not a Street

Handsome illustrations of Shange’s evocative poem, “Mood Indigo,” pay homage to the many African American icons and visionaries who came to the author’s house when she was a child. From W.E.B. DuBois to Duke Ellington, the people we now know as luminaries are seen from the perspective of a young girl. This book is sure to generate discussion.

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Standing Tall

Other books by this author

“Unflinching verse and elegant imagery combine in a powerful, evocative, picture-book portrait of Coretta Scott King. As stated on the cover, Shange uses poetry to recount Coretta Scottâ€™s life, from her childhood to her marriage with Martin Luther King, Jr. On the final page, the author offers a linear, prose biography, adding context to her more abstract references in the poetry.” — Booklist

Coretta Scott

Ntozake Shange

Illustrator:

Kadir Nelson

Age Level:

6-9

Float Like a Butterfly

Ntozake Shange

Illustrator:

Edel Rodriguez

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Nonfiction, Biography

Freedom’s a-Callin Me

Ntozake Shange

Illustrator:

Rod Brown

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Poetry

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

Kadir Nelson

Age Level:

6-9

Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Kadir Nelson

Age Level:

9-12

“This picture-book biography matches Mandela’s outsize achievements with large, powerful images, resulting in a presentation that will seize and hold readers’ attentionNelson’s paintings range from poignant, when Mandela’s mother tells him good-bye as he leaves home for more education at the age of nine, to exuberant, when Mandela and 100 men arrested for protesting apartheid respond by dancing and singing, to inspiring, when people organize rallies demanding his release. When freedom finally comes, ‘a colorful sea of people’ celebrate.” — School Library Journal