Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes
Product Description
by Langston Hughes, David Roessel (Editor), Arnold Rampersad (Editor), David E. Roessel (Editor), Benny Andrews (Illustrator)
Synopsis:
Sterling proudly announces an exciting and vibrant addition to Poetry for Young People: The first African-American themed book in the series, featuring the poems of the extraordinary Langston Hughes. Edited by the two leading experts on Hughes’s work, and illustrated by the brilliant Benny Andrews, this very special volume is one to treasure forever.
A much-requested book that was years in the making…and well worth the wait. One of the central figures in the Harlem Renaissance—the flowering of black culture that took place in the 1920s and 30s—Langston Hughes captured the soul of his people, and gave voice to their concerns about race and social justice. His magnificent and powerful words still resonate today: that’s why it’s so important for young people to have access to his poems. Now they do, in a splendid volume edited and illustrated by a top-caliber team who are simply the best in their fields.
The introduction, biography, and annotations come from Arnold Rampersad, a Professor and Dean at Stanford University, who has written The Life of Langston Hughes, and David Roessel, co-editor with Professor Rampersad of The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes and editor of the Langston Hughes collection in Knopf’s Everyman series. Benny Andrews—a painter, printmaker, and arts advocate whose work is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian, among others—has created gallery-quality illustrations that pulse with energy and add rich dimension to the poems.
Among the anthologized poems areHughes’s best-known and most loved works: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”; “Aunt Sue’s Stories”; “Danse Africaine”; “Mother to Son”; “My People”; “Words Like Freedom”; “Harlem”; and “I, Too”—his sharp, pointed response to Walt Whitman’s earlier “I Hear America Singing.”
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes is a publishing event for all to celebrate. A Selection of the Scholastic Book Club.
Sheilah Egan - Children's Literature:
The concise biographical introduction to this handsome collection of poetry by Langston Hughes is the perfect gateway to the world of words built by the poet during his quest to capture the sounds, rhythms, songs, and experiences of "his people." Greatly influenced by Walt Whitman, Hughes produced an influential body of work that left its indelible mark on American literature and culture. The editors have given enough historical information and educated insight in their introductions to each individual poem to give the reader a better sense of interaction with the impressions Hughes was endeavoring to convey. The art work is just as vibrant and lyrical as Hughes' splendid language—the colors and images leap off the pages while portraying an exuberant poem, and then sink down with poems like "The Homesick Blues" and "Genius Child." One of my favorite spreads is of the poem "I, Too" with its joyous image demonstrating Hughes' pride in and attitude toward being African-American. The illustration for "Dreams" is simply perfect. The range and variety of the selections give a good overview of the scope of Hughes' talent with different types of poetry and information about his plays and musical productions. This title is an excellent addition to the "Poetry for Young People" series and will be welcomed by librarians, media specialists, teachers, students, and lovers of fabulous poetry showcased by fabulous art. 2006, Sterling Publishing Company, Ages all.
Paperback: 48 pages
Synopsis:
Sterling proudly announces an exciting and vibrant addition to Poetry for Young People: The first African-American themed book in the series, featuring the poems of the extraordinary Langston Hughes. Edited by the two leading experts on Hughes’s work, and illustrated by the brilliant Benny Andrews, this very special volume is one to treasure forever.
A much-requested book that was years in the making…and well worth the wait. One of the central figures in the Harlem Renaissance—the flowering of black culture that took place in the 1920s and 30s—Langston Hughes captured the soul of his people, and gave voice to their concerns about race and social justice. His magnificent and powerful words still resonate today: that’s why it’s so important for young people to have access to his poems. Now they do, in a splendid volume edited and illustrated by a top-caliber team who are simply the best in their fields.
The introduction, biography, and annotations come from Arnold Rampersad, a Professor and Dean at Stanford University, who has written The Life of Langston Hughes, and David Roessel, co-editor with Professor Rampersad of The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes and editor of the Langston Hughes collection in Knopf’s Everyman series. Benny Andrews—a painter, printmaker, and arts advocate whose work is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian, among others—has created gallery-quality illustrations that pulse with energy and add rich dimension to the poems.
Among the anthologized poems areHughes’s best-known and most loved works: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”; “Aunt Sue’s Stories”; “Danse Africaine”; “Mother to Son”; “My People”; “Words Like Freedom”; “Harlem”; and “I, Too”—his sharp, pointed response to Walt Whitman’s earlier “I Hear America Singing.”
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes is a publishing event for all to celebrate. A Selection of the Scholastic Book Club.
Sheilah Egan - Children's Literature:
The concise biographical introduction to this handsome collection of poetry by Langston Hughes is the perfect gateway to the world of words built by the poet during his quest to capture the sounds, rhythms, songs, and experiences of "his people." Greatly influenced by Walt Whitman, Hughes produced an influential body of work that left its indelible mark on American literature and culture. The editors have given enough historical information and educated insight in their introductions to each individual poem to give the reader a better sense of interaction with the impressions Hughes was endeavoring to convey. The art work is just as vibrant and lyrical as Hughes' splendid language—the colors and images leap off the pages while portraying an exuberant poem, and then sink down with poems like "The Homesick Blues" and "Genius Child." One of my favorite spreads is of the poem "I, Too" with its joyous image demonstrating Hughes' pride in and attitude toward being African-American. The illustration for "Dreams" is simply perfect. The range and variety of the selections give a good overview of the scope of Hughes' talent with different types of poetry and information about his plays and musical productions. This title is an excellent addition to the "Poetry for Young People" series and will be welcomed by librarians, media specialists, teachers, students, and lovers of fabulous poetry showcased by fabulous art. 2006, Sterling Publishing Company, Ages all.
Paperback: 48 pages
