Product Description

In 26 never-before-published short and wonderfully clever poems, Langston Hughes takes children through both the alphabet and the animal world. From Ape to Zebra--with bees, camels, fish, and even a unicorn in between--he paints a picture of each animal with just a few simple, but telling, words.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #650349 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
What could possibly add to the excitement of publishing a long-lost manuscript by one of the century's most important African American writers? The folks at Oxford offer an inspired answer: a classroom full of young creative talent. In this fresh, imaginative alphabet book, 26 newly discovered poems by Hughes are teamed with 3-D works by first-, second- and third-graders at the Harlem School of the Arts. The result is a marvelous union of graphics and text, alight with color and whimsy. Hughes's poems are models of brevity and wit ("There was a camel/ Who had two humps./ He thought in his youth/ They were wisdom bumps./ Then he learned/ They were nothing but humps-/ And ever since he's/ Been in the dumps"). Called forth from these words, the students' menagerie-created from clay, paper, paint and cardboard, and unfettered by artistic preconceptions-are laugh-out-loud wonderful, from the solemn, pop-eyed flock of owls to the bright explosion of fish that graces the front cover. A foreword by Ben Vereen (a friend of Hughes) and afterword by George Cunningham give the book additional heft. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 5?Twenty-seven previously unpublished, alphabetically arranged verses about animals, written in 1936. Though humorous and ostensibly non-political, this imaginative romp has a bittersweet undercurrent: "A lion in a zoo,/Shut up in a cage,/Lives a life/Of smothered rage./A lion in the plain,/Roaming free,/Is happy as ever/A lion can be." Children from The Harlem School of the Arts have created brightly painted, three-dimensional clay or paper creatures to accompany the poems; full-color photographs of these sculptures are placed next to the selections. A lowercase letter in script appears on each spread; some letters are superimposed on the text. Ben Vareen's introduction and George P. Cunningham's afterword should help adults appreciate the work; children, however, will need no help in responding to the book's creative spirit. An inspired artistic collaboration.?Judy Greenfield, Rye Free Reading Room, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 3-6. At his best Hughes wrote with a lyrical simplicity, with humor and heartfelt emotion, that appeals to children. However, these alphabet poems, first written in 1936 and published now for the first time (as part of the Opie Library), are condescending and cute, with forced rhymes and flat imagery ("Mrs. Squirrel / Can look so sweet / When she finds / Her nest is neat"). The editors of a new compilation of Hughes' work don't include them with the section of children's poetry; in fact, they include no unpublished poems "most likely because Hughes either never offered them to publishers or because they were rejected by publishers when he offered them." What is best about this small book is the art and design. The illustrations are color photographs of animal models made from papier-m{ƒ}ach{‚}e and other materials; the artists are young grade-school students at the Harlem School of the Arts. The cover is gorgeous, and the book design displays the humor, fantasy, and brilliant color of the kids' work. Hazel Rochman

Customer Reviews

A book that interests children in poetry!
This book helps children make the transition in reading poetry from the beloved Dr. Suess to reading more sophisticated writing. My children loved the rhymes, and related to the stories. Like Robert Louis Stevenson in A Child's Garden of Verses, Langston Hughes captures childhood in his verses. Many current writers of children's poetry appeal to children using gross stories of bodily functions and gum in the hair. Langston Hughes gives kids more credit than that, but still appeals to children. What kid hasn't wanted to look down on "those stuck up clowns" in real life? This book was entertaining, and made my children want to hear more from this author.

A charming book....
Although I enjoyed this book as a Langston Hughes fan, I was not sure that the children's artwork and Hughes' poetry would be appreciated by children. However, my 5-yr-old clearly responds to the rhyming text and enjoys the art. I've overheard him reciting lines from this book by memory. The rhythym is soothing and the children's art is charming. This is not Hughes at his most profound- (couldn't he have chosen "walrus" to star on the "w" page instead of a white mouse?) and does not teach kids much about the alphabet ("m" is for monkey, but we never hear that word in the poem, instead the monkey's name- "jocko"), but it will appeal to their sense of rhyme and whimsy. I'm leaving it 5 stars because of the beautiful art and catchy poems.

What a Tribute!
This book is a wonderful tribute to one of America's finest poets. The book appeals to both children and adults. The poems are whimsical and fun. In my own classroom, the children list these poems as some of their favorites. The art work inspires my students to achieve as much as they can in their own art work. The introduction and afterward provide the reader with a history of the Harlem art's movement and Langston Hughes' contribution to this movement. The information provided could be shared with children, however it is written for advanced readers. Overall, this book is one of the most well thought out books that I have seen.