Ashley Bryan, a Newbery Award honoree chose a dozen poems by National Book Award winning poet, Nikki Giovanni, that celebrate love to go with his bright, luscious, drawings. The last page has a built-in mirror, so the reader will know for sure who, exactly, is loved! “Bryan paints African-American men, women, and children in thick, swirling compositions suggestive of stained glass” – Publishers Weekly. “Iconic, award-winning American poet Giovanni has long crafted verses that have been considered radical, sensual, and even revolutionary in their depiction of the power of love. This picture-book poetry collection for children contains a selection of her work that celebrates all manner of love, and it is beautifully illustrated by the equally renown Bryan. . . . Bryan’s stylized tempera-paint-and-watercolor illustrations are full of whimsy and smiling faces, providing the perfect complement to Giovanni’s work.” — Amina Chaudhri. “The two masters together deliver another powerful addition to their separate, award-winning catalogs. A small but mighty collection sure to remind readers that love, again, can prevail over all if given the chance.” - Kirkus Reviews. Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and spent summers there with her grandparents while staying with her parents in Cincinnati most school years, though she graduated from Austin High School in Knoxville. From there she attended Fisk University until she was expelled for her participation in Civil Rights activity. Later reinstated, she graduated from Fisk and moved to New York City where she was involved in the Black Arts Movement. Her first poetry was self-published, but soon picked up by major publishers. In 2011, she read a poem at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D. C., and she has been named Woman of the Year by four women’s magazines. She has received nineteen honorary degrees. Her classes at Virginia Tech sit in a circle, and when I attended one, she introduced me to each of her students conveying impressive knowledge of the backgrounds and interests of each. Ashley Bryan was born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx. When he studied at Cooper Union Art School, he was the only African-American student there. As a World War II soldier he served in a segregated unit, landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was the first African-American to publish a children’s book as both an author and illustrator. He retired as Professor Emeritus from Dartmouth in 1988.
New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2018. 24 unnumbered pages illustrated by Ashley Bryan. 8” X 10” hardback in dust jacket