Rich: A Dyamonde Daniel Book

by Nikki Grimes, R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)

Overview

The second book in the Dyamonde Daniels series, by bestselling author Nikki Grimes, is great for fans of the Keena Ford, Judy Moody, and Magnificent Mya Tibbs series and includes illustrations by Coretta Scott King honor winner R. Gregory Christie.

     Dyamonde Daniel is excited about the local library's poetry contest, and so is her friend Free. The prize is one hundred dollars, and just think what they could buy with that much money! But when they find out that Damaris, one of their classmates, has been living in a homeless shelter, their ideas about what it means to be rich or poor start to change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425288542
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Series:	A Dyamonde Daniel Book , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	81,943
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 5.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Nikki Grimes is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of dozens of children's 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. Nikki Grimes won the Children's Literature Legacy Award, which honors an author or illustrator whose books have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children over a period of years.

R. Gregory Christie was named a top children's book illustrator by the New York Times and has received three Coretta Scott King Honors. He has illustrated numerous picture books, including The Deaf Musicians (by Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs), which received the Schneider Family Book Award. He has illustrated the biographies of many historical and cultural figures, and he frequently lectures at schools across the country. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Gas-art.com

Editorial Reviews

"Christie's light pen-and-ink sketches bring these good-hearted characters to life. Young readers will wish they had a friend like Dyamonde."—Kirkus Reviews

"The animated and spirited black-and-white illustrations are perfectly in tune with the story. . . Add this book to the collection and watch it always be in great demand."—Children's Literature

From the Publisher

[L]ooks at the sensitive issues of poverty and homelessness from different angles and in a reassuringly matter-of-fact way . . . [a] fine beginning chapter book.

Booklist

"Dyamonde liked to know everything, and she'd made up her mind that she was going to get to know Damaris Dancer." Third graders Dyamonde and her friend Free make a new friend and discover what it really means to be rich. Free, whose father's job loss has meant unfamiliar and unwelcome belt-tightening, is challenged by ever-optimistic Dyamonde to rethink his definition of what it means to be poor. A poetry contest with a cash reward offers Free the hope of a coveted video game. When shy, enigmatic Damaris also enters the competition, the duo becomes a trio. Damaris's hidden life in a homeless shelter becomes public through her poetry, and the three friends learn together about true wealth. Fast-paced, believable urban school situations, including a memorable visit to a thrift store, make this a particularly relevant series entry for chapter-book readers. Christie's light pen-and-ink sketches bring these good-hearted characters to life. Young readers will wish they had a friend like Dyamonde. (Fiction. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Gr 2–4—When their third grade teacher encourages students to enter a local poetry contest, Dyamonde is not interested. However, her best friend Free sees it as an opportunity to win the $100 prize and purchase a new video game. Damaris, a shy new student, also enters the contest, capturing Dyamonde's attention. The three soon become fast friends even as they discover Damaris' secret—she is living in a homeless shelter. Nikki Grimes's beginning chapter book (Putnam, 2009) features inviting characters, an engaging story, and a look at the challenges of poverty. It also poses the question: What makes one truly rich? The rhythm, pacing, and tone of Grimes's narration is captivating, although she doesn't provide unique voices for each character.—Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT

School Library Journal

Dyamonde Daniel is back for a second installment in Nikki Grimes’s chapter book series. Listeners will feel a strong connection as Grimes dramatizes her characters’ perceptions of the poor and homeless in their city. Best friends Dyamonde and Free spend time searching secondhand stores for “treasure” and discussing the poetry contest that has just been announced at school. When they uncover a secret that their classmate Damaris does not want to share, they decide to befriend her. Grimes portrays Dyamonde’s infectious personality as she finds poetry in the most unexpected place and inspires Damaris to write with her heart. Grimes crisply weaves a story of friendship, trust, and poetry, and her straightforward delivery makes it ring true. E.A.B. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2011 - AudioFile