Customer Reviews

Meet Danitra Brown

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As a teacher for many years I have read and shared hundreds of books with students. This one is exceptional. Last year, desperate to really reach my third grade, low-achieving, inner city students, I looked through some books that I had put away. MEET DANITRA BROWN was among them, but for some reason I never read it before that moment. I took it to school the next day, hoping the children would enjoy the book, but not daring to hope for more. This powerfully poignant book elicited dialogue from my students as well as written responses that I didn't know was possible. What a motivator! Just because I taught third graders, please do not doubt the power of the text to transcend any age. The older a person the more they will be able to bring to the text. I would love to use this book with a group of inner city high school students. The rhythm and punch of the poetry(no turn-off to boys or girls at all)pulls the listener/reader in. The illustrations are icing on the (tough) cake of life. The lessons and morals within Nikki Grimes' language are unforgettable. I cannot say enough about the quality of this book except this: Fabulous!

This book is a collection of poems telling about a very close friendship between two young girls. Danitra Brown is a young black girl who loves being herself. When other children tease or talk about her she ignores them and keeps a positive attitude. Danitra's mother encourages her to strive for improvement in everything that she does. Danitra is able to pass this trait on to her other friends. The author paints a wonderful picture of her best friend, Danitra. The collection includes poems about bike riding, talking, sitting in front of the building, and shares a special poem about Danitra and her mother. The poems tell a story and are about the same people. The book has many rhyming schemes. It is recommended for k-3. In the classroom it could be used to help with word recognition with words that look alike and rhyme. I have added it to my home library and have a copy for my classroom library. A ALA Notable Book and A Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book winner.

Danitra Brown, a young black girl that everyone loves so dearly. Danitra is a young lady the loves to be herself no matter what others may say. Grimes describes her as a beautiful black girl with a lot going for her. Danitria doesn't talk about her friend, but encourages her freinds to strive for prefection. Danitria's mother always tells her to strive for improvement and she passes this on and on.

I loved the inventiveness of Danitra and her friends. A wonderful role model for all young girls, especially girls of color. My granddaughter is mixed and I am white and we enjoyed reading this together.