The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children

by Davida Adedjouma, R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)

Overview

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor, American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books of the Year, Parenting magazine
Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Firecracker Alternative Press Award, Firecracker Alternative Book Awards

When children are encouraged to celebrate their lives — their joys, their influences, their hopes — the results are pure poetry.

Black is dark, dark is lovely,
lovely is the palm of my heart
and my heartbeats are filled with joy

When children are encouraged to celebrate their lives - their joys, their influences, their hopes - the results are pure poetry. Honest, wise, and inspiring, each of the twenty poems in this dazzling collection resounds with the unique rhythms of life, as seen through the eyes of African American children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781880000762
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	05/15/2003
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.98(w) x 9.86(h) x 0.09(d)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

Davida Adedjouma is a writer, actor and teacher. She is the author of Last Summer, a collection of short stories, and the recipient of numerous literary awards and fellowships. Born in Chicago, she now lives in New York City. This is her first picture book.

R. GREGORY CHRISTIE is the recipient of numerous awards including a Caldecott Honor and six Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honors, and his books have been recognized by The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books list three times. He currently paints in the evenings while traveling around the country doing school visits. You can visit him online at gas-art.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Christie's long, angular images are reminiscent of Masai warriors with long graceful necks, wearing pride in their postures. The acrylic-and-pen renderings never outpace the simple, humble passages that reflect children who have discovered the power of the written word and their own inner strength." — Booklist

"The 20 poems that Adedjouma gathered..ranged seamlessly, and the selections are life-affirming, brimming with self-awareness, and written in a celebration of African American culture..s interpretations of the text..very page and double-spread to convey a distinct story, mood, or tribute to the culture." — Kirkus Reviews

"(Multicultural Guide, Board or Education of the City of New York) The poems are sensitive, positive, emotional, and can serve as wonderful discussion starters on issues of culture, slavery, and self-esteem." — Board of Education, NYC

"Filled with glorious illustrations… of My Heart' represents the little-heard and often overlooked voices of black children. Their poems are spare as a haiku, yet powerful as a spiritual." — Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor, American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books of the Year, Parenting magazine
Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Firecracker Alternative Press Award, Firecracker Alternative Book Awards

From the Publisher