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“if i were a poet/I’d kidnap you” – “Kidnap Poem”

I Am Loved: A Poetry Collection, by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Ashley Bryan, Atheneum Books, 2018

This collection of old and new poems by renowned poet Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by poet and painter Ashley Bryan speaks perfectly to readers of all ages, but particularly to the read-aloud duo of adult and child, or the classroom teacher of music and poetry.

Read this book because the language and rhythm will delight your speech and the meaning will capture your audience. The poems range from the weighty “Quilts” (addressing aging and death) to the lighthearted “Paula the Cat.” This collection speaks to all people, with a deeper layer of meaning and call to African American children.

Add this book to your collection because this landmark collaboration of Nikki’s words with Ashley Bryan’s dynamic, vibrant and healing art is uniquely transcendent. Every bookshelf for children should include this book, because it’s

Nikki

Ashley

and POETRY!

Classroom teachers in particular need to get their hands on this book. Giovanni’s use of metaphor, 2^nd person address, enjambment and rhyme all invite young poets’ examination and imitation. Several poems could prompt interesting comparisons to other famous poets (ee cummings and Lewis Carroll, for instance). And in particular, the poems “Three/Quarters Time” and “Do the Rosa Parks” jim and jam off the page, keeping time for lessons about movement, song, dance and social history.

Other children’s books by this author:

• Rosa, illustrated by Bryan Collier (the story of Rosa Parks)
• Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat, illustrated by Kristen Balouch and Michele Noiset

Other books by this illustrator:

• What a Wonderful World, by Geroge David Weiss and Bob Thiele, performed most famously by Louis Armstrong
• Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry

“do the rosa parks/say no no/do the rosa parks/throw your hands in the air/ do the rosa parks/ say . . . no no/ do the rosa parks/tell them that’s not fair”

YouTube video of Nikki Giovanni doing the Rosa Parks – Sadly, I could not find videos of children doing the Rosa Parks, which means it hasn’t yet caught on! Teachers everywhere, we have work to do with this poem.

Please go read and sign Gwenda Bond’s pledge to stand up to sexual harassment in the children’s lit industry. #MeToo

Time to listen. Time to speak up. Time.

Today is the last day to donate to the #WeNeedDiverseBooks Indiegogo campaign (click here to contribute now), run by a powerhouse group of children’s book writers, illustrators, librarians, readers, editors and agents dedicated to promoting diversity in children’s literature. Funds raised will  be used primarily as grants for authors/illustrators bringing diverse stories to the field of children’s publishing.

I am not one of the powerhouses. But I am here to tell you why we need diverse books. I grew up straddling a strange divide between the Haves and the Have-nots, a sort of Half-Star Sneetch on the beach. When my half-star caught the sun, it looked like the real thing. I was viewed and treated as a Star-Belly Sneetch by most of those who had stars upon thars. But when I met up with the other Sneetches on the beach–the ones with no marshmallows or hotdogs–most of them also accepted me as one of their own. They didn’t see my half star, but noticed instead my deeply tanned skin, my unusual eyes, the shape of my nose and lips. Look for yourself. You’ll see it if you’re paying attention.

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Photo by jphilipg, Creative Commons

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