Award-winning poet, author, playwright, historian, songwriter, singer, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, and civil rights activist: Dr. Maya Angelou needs no introduction. She is a true American icon—and now she is the first living poet included in Sterling’s celebrated Poetry for Young People series. Twenty-five of her finest poems capture a range of emotions and experiences, from the playful “Harlem Hopscotch” to the prideful “Me and My Work” to the soul-stirring “Still I Rise.” While her writings deal with the historic struggles of African-Americans, they all resonate with spiritual strength and hope for the future that everyone can relate to. A special inclusion in this volume is “A Brave and Startling Truth,” written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Award-winning artist Jerome Lagarrigue masterfully illustrates each verse with evocative, stunning pictures. Dr. Edwin Graves Wilson, the Provost Emeritus of Wake Forest University and a longtime colleague of Dr. Angelou, has written the book’s introduction, the introductions to the individual poems, and the annotations.

Part of the "Poetry for Young People" series, this visually attractive picture book begins with a four-page introduction that includes not only biographical information but also explains to young readers how certain poems relate to the time Angelou was growing up. The twenty-five selections begin with a brief explanation of each poem that should make them more accessible to young readers unfamiliar with the language. These explanations also include definitions of words they may not know. In "Songs for the Old Ones" we are told that this is a tribute to older African-Americans who survived slavery and cruelty with pride. Some of the words defined at the end of the poem include Aunt Jemimas, coffles ("a line of slaves chained together in transit"), and profound. Dr. Edwin Graves Wilson, a professor of English at Wake Forest and a colleague of Angelou's, has written the introduction to the book and the annotations to the individual poems. Award-winning illustrator Lagarrigue's stunning illustrations—such as the wistful little girl sitting on the steps in "Little Girl Speaking" and "Willie," the stooped old man leaning on a cane, a backdrop of gold and green and blue swirling around—add tremendously to the appeal of this book. Other "Poetry for Young People" titles include Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe and Langston Hughes. Maya Angelou is the first living poet to be a part of the series. Reviewer: Augusta Scattergood

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• Children's Books
  
  
  • Geography & Cultures
    
    
    • Multicultural Stories
      • Black & African American Stories