African American Poetry, Poetry - General & Miscellaneous

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems

Name: The Dream Keeper and Other Poems
Author: Brian Pinkney
ISBN: 9780679844211

by Brian Pinkney, J. Brian Pinkney

Write a review

Overview

"HOLD FAST TO DREAMS / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly."

The Dream Keeper, the great African-American writer Langston Hughes's only collection of poems for children, includes some of his best loved works. It is being reissued in a handsome hardcover edition in celebration of its 75th anniversary. Filled with elegant scratchboard illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Brian Pinkey, and featuring an introduction by noted children's poet Lee Bennett Hopkins, this gift edition is sure to be cherished by young readers and longtime poetry lovers alike.

A collection of sixty-six poems, selected by the author for young readers, including lyrical poems, songs, and blues, many exploring the black experience.

Synopsis

"HOLD FAST TO DREAMS / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly."

Publishers Weekly

Originally published in 1932, this edition of Hughes's vibrant poems includes seven additional poems and is enhanced by dynamic scratchboard art. All ages. (Dec.)

About the Author, Brian Pinkney

Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous books for children, including two Caldecott Honor books, The Faithful Friend, by Robert D. San Souci, and Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Mr. Pinkney's own books include Hush, Little Baby; Cosmo and the Robot; Max Found Two Sticks; JoJo's Flying Side Kick; and The Adventures of Sparrowboy, winner of the 1997 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Brian Pinkney has received the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Originally published in 1932, this edition of Hughes's vibrant poems includes seven additional poems and is enhanced by dynamic scratchboard art. All ages. (Dec.)

Children's Literature

Originally published in 1932 this 75th anniversary edition of Langston Hughes’s poetry is a treasure. Hughes’s optimistic and vibrant portrayal of the African American experience speaks to readers of any race or creed. There is a beauty captured in each of these poems that will bring the reader to them over and over again. These poems would make a strong starting point for any parent, teacher, or guardian who wishes to introduce poetry into a child’s life. The text itself contains the original poems in the collection along with seven additional poems. The additional poems were chosen because they were viewed as child-friendly. The book also includes an introduction by the children’s poet Lee Bennett Hopkins. The attractive hardcover text includes fluidly beautiful scratchboard illustrations. They enhance the reading experience and often seem to be a direct reflection of the words in each poem. This title would be an enriching and valuable asset to any elementary or junior high classroom setting. It would also be a beautiful gift for any child. Reviewer: Monserrat Urena

Hazel Rochman

Hughes' classic poetry collection, originally published for young people in 1932, is reissued here in a handsome new edition. It includes seven additional poems, a fine introduction by Lee Bennett Hopkins, and a personal afterword by Augusta Baker. Black-and-white scratchboard illustrations in Pinkney's signature style express the emotion and beat of the poetry, the laughter that hides pain, the celebration and the struggle of the African American experience, and the music of the weary blues. The poems are as powerful today as they were 60 years ago, colloquial and direct yet mysterious and complex. The simplicity of these lines makes them accessible to middle-graders but doesn't detract from their appeal to older readers. As Hopkins says, "Poem: I loved my friend" has become an elegy for separation and loss. History and the most private feeling "mingle themselves softly" in the voices that "cross and recross" here. Demanding to be spoken aloud, the words sing for all of us. There's no better way to show kids that poetry is about them than to share this collection.