Be Boy Buzz [Paperback]

Bell Hooks (Author), Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: P and up

I be boy. All bliss boy. All fine beat. All beau boy. Beautiful. "This stunning volume celebrates all things boy." -Publishers Weekly, starred review Famed author bell hooks brings us a tight, exuberant story that captures the essence and energy of what it means to be a boy. Chris Raschka's soulful illustrations buzz with a force that is the perfect match for these powerful words.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This stunning volume celebrates all things boy. The creators of Happy to Be Nappy set the stage with the bold opening sortie: "I be boy" appears on the left of the spread, paired with a deceptively simple layering of rectangles in blue line that pulsates on the page; opposite, a thoughtful-looking fellow, all elbows and knees slightly bent, seems poised for action. This spare, poetic riff on young manhood plumbs the delights and contradictions of what it means to be a boy particularly an African-American boy in a brief handful of sentences and with a few well-placed pastel lines that imply motion and emotion. From boys soaring ("All bliss boy") to boys sulking ("All bad boy beast" here Raschka conveys the mood with just the right-hand side of a furrowed brow, and two arms seemingly blocking readers from view), at play ("I be boy jumping") and at rest ("all think and dream time"), the words pinpoint boyhood's unflagging energy and exuberance, vulnerability ("Hug me close. Don't let me down") and attitude. Hooks's rhythmic blend of brevity and eloquence launches Raschka's trademark visual haiku. His series of watercolor and pastel portraits set off against a warm cappuccino backdrop conjures fingers and toes, features and squiggles of hair from simple sweeps of his brush, and evokes characters suffused with humanity and tenderness. The graceful design visually balances the spare text, lively portraits and geometric graphics which harmoniously orbit the spreads. This life-affirming book will have readers as much "in love with being a boy" as are its own utterly irresistible characters. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-An alliterative ode to the snips, snails, and puppy-dog tails gender. The syncopated text suits the subject well: "I be boy./All bliss boy./All fine beat./All beau boy." It captures children running, jumping, "talking way too loud," and then, "sitting all quiet still." Brown-skinned boys with long, curving arms and curly hair lope and leap across sienna-colored pages; bright squiggles of scribbled design add a geometric counterpoint to the flowing lines of kids with big, open hearts and sweet minds, ready for the world. A wonderful collaboration, this book is as exuberant as the boys it describes.
Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun (January 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786816430
• ISBN-13: 978-0786816439
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Multiculturalism

More About the Author

Bell Hooks is a cultural critic, feminist theorist, and writer. Celebrated as one of our nation's leading public intellectual by The Atlantic Monthly, as well as one of Utne Reader's 100 Visionaries Who Could Change Your Life, she is a charismatic speaker who divides her time among teaching, writing, and lecturing around the world. Previously a professor in the English departments at Yale University and Oberlin College, hooks is now a Distinguished Professor of English at City College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is the author of more than seventeen books, including All About Love: New Visions; Remembered Rapture: The Writer at Work; Wounds of Passion: A Writing Life; Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood; Killing Rage: Ending Racism; Art on My Mind: Visual Politics; and Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life. She lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a GREAT book for toddler African American boys!, October 6, 2004

By 

Lil D mom (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Boy Buzz (Hardcover)

The first time I read this book was in my Black Studies class; my teacher brought it to class one day. It immediately caught my attention because I am a mother of a two-year old, energetic little boy! I knew that this book would be great for him! It teaches black children, particularly black boys, to be proud of who they are and to think nothing less of themselves.

5.0 out of 5 stars -, May 10, 2011

By 

chikizz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Boy Buzz (Hardcover)

I think this was a wonderful book by Bell Hooks- it showcases a boy, being a boy, doing what boys do. It reads like a bit of prose poetry, and the motion of the pictures follow the motion of the words. It is not very long, good for maybe 3-5 year olds.