Customer Reviews

Harlem (Caldecott Honor Book)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Walter Dean Myers is certainly better-known for his chapter books for children than for poetry. That being said, "Harlem" offers an insight into the place as well as the man. African-American culture has long had a close relationship with poetry and Myers cements that friendship. Kudos for a job well-done!

For teachers, this is a must-read during African-American History Month in February (as well as any other time of the year).

This book is for adults, not children. There is so much deep meaning in this book. Just because it is a picuture book does not mean that it is for children. I believe that adults will get much more out of it.

The book Harlem was about how black and white people didn't get along in the past. They celebrated their journey to Harlem, and made a way for new a beginning in life. In their old town it was a lot of racism, so they moved to Harlem and all their problems were resolved with the help of postive leaders. The story was mostly based on 125th street in Harlem, New York.
I feel that the book was a good book because it taught me things about Harlem and how slaves moved from south to north just for freedom, and to get treated better.

I have a problem. I'm a children's librarian at a moderately sized branch in Greenwich Village, New York City. I have a library assistant currently going to library school. Between the two of us, we're fairly good at covering almost all the topics and age group titles required of us. There is one notable exception to this, however. Poetry. Neither of us are particularly interested in it. By extension, neither of us know much about it. So when I set out to review all the great Caldecott Honor winners out there, I knew I'd be covering a lot of poetry gaps in my general children's knowledge. Living in New York, Walter Dean Myers', "Harlem" is an especially good book to know about. I live in Harlem. I have kids coming in needing books on different New York communities all the time. You'd think, therefore, that "Harlem" would be a kind of godsend. Unfortunately, it's Walter Dean Myers at his most sophisticated. Because of the adult nature of the poems, references, and illustrations in this book, I'm afraid I just can't recommend it to the swarming hoards of five to nine-year-olds that need picture books about the uptown area. For them, I'll be handing over Brian Collier's, "Uptown". For teens needing some Harlem beauty, "Harlem" is for them.

The book can be read as a bunch of little poems all talking about the history, magnificence, and glory of Harlem. It can also be read as a single continuing story that starts with a Great Migration from all over the world and ends on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. We see people up and people down. We meet and view famous characters from history. We see Harlem residents' faith, their religion, and their everyday activities. Checkers players are viewed alongside pallbearers. Kids and hot asphalt and lines like, "A journey on the A train / That started on the banks of the Niger / And has not ended". The book is a celebration of a place by a man who was born and raised there, but does not live there today. Something to chew on, I suppose.

Kids will not get this book. Not all kids. A few will understand what it's saying, and a few who have it explained to them by talented teachers, will get it as well. By and large, however, this is a book meant for teens and adults. The kinds of people who might have read "Harlem Stomp" by Laban Carrick Hill and (as a result) now understand exactly what this book is referring to. You need a little background and history in Harlem to understand "Harlem". Myers is assuming that the casual reader is familiar enough with its past to nod sagely at such lines as, "A huddle of horns and a tinkle of glass, a note / Handed down from Marcus to Malcolm to a brother / Too bad and too cool to give his name". And while I appreciate Myers' assumption that I'm that intelligent, I can't help but wonder why this book is considered children's. Just because it has bright pretty pictures? Puh-leeze.

Not that the pictures are bad. They're nice, in a cut paper/artistic kinda way. But children won't gravitate towards them. They're far more likely to prefer Collier's candybar cutouts on the already mentioned "Uptown". Still, there's no denying the mastery behind these images. "Harlem" may garner some complaints but few will be centered on the art.

All in all, this is a perfectly nice book in search of an audience. Consider it recommended for anyone looking for contemporary Harlem poetry (especially if they're over the age of 9).

As a book for four to eight year olds, I give it a three. As an adult, I give it five stars for an average rating of four. If you`ve never been to Harlem, or even New York, never met an American of African descent, if you`re too young to have heard of the likes of the Cotton Club, the Apollo, people like Sugar Ray, Langston Hughes, Lady Day, or even Malcolm X, your mama has a heck of alot of explaining to do: too much for the brief span of attention only just long enough to look at the pictures and feel the music of the poem. In terms of just words, I suppose this fits in the 4-8 reading level. However, as a work, this is more likely to be understood and therefore appreciated by older people. My kids, five, and seven, were completely mystified by the poem, although they loved the beautiful compositions that make you wish you could touch them. Having lived in Washington Heights, I can explain some basic things to them, but not enough. The ability to understand and appreciate this book is beyond their capacity at this time.

The book Harlem was about how black and whites didn't get along. In the story they was mostly on 125th street in Harlem, New York. The plot was that to celebrate their journey to Harlem, making a way for new a beginning in life. In their old town it was alot of racism, so they moved to Harlem and all their problems were resolved with the help of postive leaders.
I feeled that the book was a good book because it taught me things about Harlem and that the slaves moved from south to north just for freedom, and to get treated better.

i personally dont own this book my friend does. ive read his 5 times and it never gets old. buy it. treasure it. read it. its worth it.

I thought this book was great! It's a book that anyone can read. This book not only has beautiful pictures, but seems to teach you a little about Harlem. I think this book should be read by all ages, because it is FANTASTIC!!!!

My students read this poem at school and illustrated it stanza by stanza. Then I showed them the illustrations Christopher Myers created to accompany his father's poem. Sometimes their ideas were similar to Christopher's; sometimes, not. They learned you can make a poem your own by recreating it for yourself with images. They fell in love with this beautiful poem that gets at the place of music--the poetry of the soul--that makes a place home. They got it. I love Myers's work for its power, its ability to get to kids in a good and meaningful way. They learn to love literature through his work. This poem and its illustrations are sacramental. They are outward manifestations of that inward grace called being Harlem (Caldecott Honor Book)home.

Walter Dean Myers is a prolific author for young people whose books are in the middle school, and earlier, classrooms. Most of his work is prose, this piece of poetry is wonderful. It gives the children insight into life in Harlem. Good to read to children 3rd grade on, with explanation for younger children. But actually, it can be more fully grasped by children a little older, from 4th to 8th grade. Illustrations are great, the book is one of those unique finds, it isn't a common one, but has its own distinct flavor.

Poetry is an essential element of education in this hip hop L'il Wayne saturated musical garbage dump, where rappers verbally f-- everything in the world. So much profanity in L'il Wayne, Nicki Minaj. Teens and children from third grade on are captivated by these two hip hop stars, with all the profanity and, in the case of Nicki Minaj, self-loathing.

Educators have a responsiblity to redirect the interests of young people towards poetry and wholesome music, which there is plenty of among African American culture, and away from hip hop vulgarity. Walter Dean Myers work is one such avenue of culture heritage for African Americans, as is Langston Hughes. Harlem is a fine book for the classroom.