KING O' LETTERS
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Caitlyn Dlouhy Book
(Atheneum)
(pub.10.3.2023) 56 pages
Author: Jason Reynolds
Illustrator: Jerome Pumphrey
and Jarrett Pumphrey
Characters: Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka and Langston Hughes & more
Overview:
" Back in the day, there was a heckuva party, a jam, for a word-making man. The King of Letters. Langston Hughes. His ABCs became drums, bumping jumping thumping like a heart the size of the whole country. They sent some people yelling and others, his word-children, to write their own glory.
Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, and more came be-bopping to recite poems at their hero’s feet at that heckuva party at the Schomberg Library, dancing boom da boom, stepping and stomping, all in praise and love for Langston, world-mending word man. Oh, yeah, there was hoopla in Harlem, for its Renaissance man. A party for Langston."
Tantalizing taste:
"Langston was the best word maker around.
could make the word MOTHER feel
like real warm arms wrapped around you,
giving a snug hug.
Could make the word AMERICA look
like two friends making pinky promises,
to be cool,
to be true
Could make the word HARLEM sound
like the perfect place to have a party,
make it seem like you could bust a move
right there in the H or the L or the M of it."
And something more: Jason Reynolds in A Note from the Author explains: "It all started when I saw a picture of two of my favorite word makes, Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka ... dancing.
But why are they dancing? ... I always thought they were just the people who put together cool poems... or the people who spoke out courageously about freedom and a way to become better people and a more loving America.
Turns out, they also loved to boogie! Especially when the party was in honor of word maker of all word makers - Langston Hughes - who wrote my favorite poems..."
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Simon & Schuster
(pub.4.4.2023) 40 pages
Author: Tami Charles
Illustrator: Jemma Skidmore
Character: Ketanji Brown Jackson
Overview:
" After 232 years and 115 appointments, Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson became the first Black woman appointed to serve on the US Supreme Court. With Tami Charles’s sweeping lyricism and Jemma Skidmore’s unforgettable illustrations, readers learn about the narratives that have shaped the Justice’s life, and how this historic moment will be impressed upon the minds of the young dreamers of the future."
Tantalizing taste:
" The voice of a nation, the justices,
she is you, the changemakers,
she is me, the pioneers,
blazing a trail who'll remember this year
for the future: with great pride!
So as cameras flash,
of course
I rise,
I rejoice,
I smile!
(Wouldn't you?)
If you witnessed history
and
saw the American
dream come true?"
And something more: Tami Charles, in the Author's Note explains that "I wrote this book to shine a light on the pride children feel when they witness loved ones following their own dreams. In this case, I chose to spotlight a girl who represents the Leila Jackson within us all. May this book remind us to honor the greatness of those who've come before us and to see our potential to soar to new heights because of them."
Justice Jackson's Journey
to the U.S. Supreme Court
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Quill Tree Books
(Harper Collins)
(pub.6.20.2023) 40 pages
Author: Kekla Magoon
Illustrator: Laura Freeman
Character: Ketanji Jackson
Overview:
" Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance counselor told her she should set her sights lower than Harvard, she decided to go to Harvard for college and law school.
When she became a public defender and saw inequalities in the justice system, she used her legal skills to advocate for people who needed help, but couldn’t afford an attorney.
Ketanji’s path to the Supreme Court was unique: She’s the only current Justice to have been a public defender and one of a few who went to public school.
Her story is powerful and heartening, and it’s a lesson in overcoming adversity by being true to yourself."
Tantalizing taste:
" When she accepted the confirmation, she said, 'It has taken two hundred and thirty-two years ... but we've made it.' She added, 'Our children are telling me that they see now, more than ever, that her in America, anything is possible.'
Today, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's star shines as brightly as ever, and now the whole world can see her light."
And something more: Kekla Magoon, in the Author's Note explains that "Leila's [Ketanji's daughter's] letter to President Obama was probably not the main thing that put Judge Jackson on the short list for the Supreme Court – her judicial record would've taken care of that in time – but it is still a great example of a young person being strong and speaking up, sharing their opinion with a person in power. It is not always easy to speak up about the things that are most important to us, but telling elected officials what we think is best for our country is an important part of citizenship, no matter how old or young we are."
