Visiting Langston - Softcover

Perdomo, Willie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805078819 ISBN 13: 9780805078817

Publisher: Square Fish, 2005

Synopsis

A wonderful picture book introduction to a legendary American writer

It's a special day when a little girl and her father go to visit the house where the great poet Langston Hughes lived―especially when the little girl is a poet herself!

This rhythmic tale is a wonderful introduction to the work and world of Langston Hughes, who was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and an American cultural hero.

About this title

About the Author

Willie Perdomo was raised eight blocks away from Langston Hughes's house. Visiting Langston is his first book for children. He lives in New York.

Bryan Collier grew up in Pokomoke City, Maryland, where he began painting at the age of fifteen. Mr. Collier now lives in Harlem in New York City.

From Publishers Weekly

Perdomo (Where a Nickel Costs a Dime) captures the excitement of an African-American girl anticipating a visit to the Harlem brownstone of Langston Hughes. The narrator, an aspiring writer, expresses her enthusiasm from the opening lines: "Today I'm going to wear/ My favorite pink blouse/ I'm going with my daddy/ To visit Langston's house." Throughout, Collier's (Uptown) heady blend of watercolor and mixed media collage evokes the history of the writer's life and times. In the opening spread, a black-and-white painting depicting Jazz Era scenes hangs on the wall as the girl sits smiling on a couch, clutching a notebook and pen. In a kind of meditation on the poet, subsequent spreads incorporate elements of that painting, which hangs in the girl's living room: for instance, bass players and a pianist inhabit the space behind Langston at his typewriter ("Langston/ Langston/ Langston Hughes/ Wrote poems/ Like jazz"). Collier then shows the girl kneeling to read the paper in Hughes's typewriter. In the end, Perdomo adds a twist: the girl and her father stand before the doors of Langston's house and the opening lines repeat; she sits on the couch in the next spread but, this time, her notebook is open. "Langston/ Langston," says the girl. "I write poetry/ Just like Langston Hughes." Is she writing about the trip she just made? Or is she imagining the visit to come? An opening note provides a brief biographical sketch. An inspired and inspiring introduction to the legendary writer. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)February 1. This and two other titles commemorate his life and work: Love to Langston by Tony Medina, illus. by R. Gregory Christie (Lee & Low, reviewed Dec. 17, 2001) and Langston Hughes: American Poet by Alice Walker, illus. by Catherine Deeter (HarperCollins/Amistad, reviewed Nov. 19, 2001).

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0805078819
• ISBN 13: 9780805078817
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Collier Bryan