Ellington Was Not a Street

Rating:
Summary: Simply Beautiful
Review: Both Shange and Nelson are at their best in this beautifully illustrated walk through African American history. The illustrations are wonderful and the poetry is, in fact, poetry. Lovely.

Rating:
Summary: Ellington Was not a Street should have won the Caldecott
Review: I have been a fan of Ntozake Shange since seeing the play "For colored girls..." as a teen. Her writing and passion has always been vibrant and found its way to the heart of you. This book is a beautiful reflection of what & who shaped her as a child. She knew some of the fore most revered African-American minds and talents when as a child as friends "play uncles." They influenced her and now she uses her history and past to mold and shape young readers. This book is a tribute to their memories as well as tool to teach the younger generation about the past. I am greatful to her for this book and all her other books. Every library should have this book for their children. We have read this to our daughters and will most assuredly read it to our son. I can't say anymore regarding Kadir Nelson except "Masterful." He has the portraiture down to a science. W.E.B. DuBois leaps off the page.

Rating:
Summary: REMARKABLE
Review: THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS BOOK.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE JUST WONDERFUL.
THIS BOOK REALLY REPRESENTS THE CLASS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS.
THE LITTLE GIRL ON THE FRONT COVER IS JUST ADORABLE AND SHE IS DRAWN SO BEAUTIIFULLY WITH VERY DISTINCT AFRICAN AMERICAN FEATURES!!!! THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LOVE!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Wish I could buy 100 copies to give to everybody I know!
Review: This book is so beautiful! The poem and illustrations are a perfect fit, recreating Harlem during a rich period in time. It's about the past, but reminds us of what the present and future could be. Biographies of the people mentioned in the poem bring the story to life even more. This is the sort of book I'd buy for a child, but end up keeping for myself.

Rating:
Summary: Caldecott material--if not, Nelson will be robbed
Review: This is one of the most beautifully illustrated picturebooks I've ever seen. Kadir Nelson is brilliant and supremely talented. It takes us into the narrator's home (the little girl on the cover) and gives us an intimate view of some of the most celebrated African-Americans in history. The text is scarce in a good way, and set off beautifully in boxes within the illustrations. Elegant and edifying.

Rating:
Summary: IT'S HARD TO GET BETTER THAN THIS
Review: What a beautiful book, both the very simple text (a poem that had
been previously published in an adult book) and the illustrations
which are quite possibly the best Nelson has done - which is saying
something because his work is always excellent.

Shange's world is not my world, but that little girl in the book
is right around the age of my granddaughter and the body language,
the look, the smile, the inquisitiveness, the daddy-love could be
my sweetie, and that is probably the most important reason why
I love this book.

Rating:
Summary: A touching personal tribute from one woman's past
Review: You know what doesn't get enough respect in this world? Author's Notes. As you read through the various picture books available to the public today, you forget how important Author's Notes are sometimes. You take them for granted until one day, out of the blue, you read a fabulous picture book like, "ellington was not a street", and find yourself scrambling frantically for something ANYTHING that reveals who the author is and what her intent was. After some readings and re-readings, I finally discovered a little background to this story hidden away in the hardback copy's bookflap. I'll share this information with you since, aside from its apparent destestation of clarification, "ellington was not a street" is a beautiful work of picture book art that deserves to be culled through by kids and scolars alike for years to come.

Poet and author Ntozake Shange drew up in the company of some of the greatest black heroes of America. Can you imagine what it must be like to know that as a toddler you slept on the couch while Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Dubois discussed the world? Or to remember the presence of people like Dizzy Gillespie and the Clovers in your home? With "ellington was not a street" you can. In Kadir Nelson's sumptuous images the viewer accompanies a small girl in a beautiful blue dress. The girl, supposedly Shange herself when young, inserts herself into almost each and every picture in this book. One moment she's greeting Ray Barretto at the door and in another she's pleased as punch to be attending a fancy soiree her parents are hosting. The book's text is a poem originally written by Shange in 1983. Entitled, "Mood Indigo", it starts off with a simple, "it hasnt always been this way/ ellington was not a street". A modern day Ellington Street stares us in the face and from it we're drawn back in time to an era when the great men of the Harlem Rennaisance mingled with a younger up-and-coming generation. As the book concludes with a final, "it hasn't always been this way...", we look into the kind and smiling face of the man of the title himself. A single baton rests between his hands.

The poem is, of course, excellent. It simply states that you cannot assume that the world we live in today was always as it was. It was forged by the likes of Nkrumah and Virgil Akins. It was created with the aid of strong men and women. So yes, bravo poem. But I don't mind saying that I think the real genius here is Kadir Nelson. Nelson has a artistic grasp of perspective and angle that just kills you. The two parts of the book that look at modern Ellington Street show, in two sections, the same woman attempting to cross its street. The figure of the small girl watching the men and women around her is a perfect way to keep kids interested in the story. They identify with the girl. She's so adorable and knowing, all at once, that it would be difficult for the adults reading this book not to identify with her as well. The famous figures in this story are represented beautifully, their features perfectly attenuated according to the situation. There is no doubt in my mind that every single face in this book (and there are, literally, a ton) is based on a real person. Most impressive is the final shot where everyone who has appeared in the book poses together for the viewer. The picture looks like a living breathing photograph of the greats. Whether people are smiling demurely or mugging shamelessly, it's a heckuva fabulous image.

For those readers who need to brush up on their Nkrumah or Sonny Til history, a helpful biographical section appears at the back of the book with pictures of the featured men. This was incredibly helpful to me, though I'm proud to say that I knew the history of at least four of the nine displayed. Still, where's the Author's Note that explains why the author's father was so popular with these famous fellows? Why is there an image of Shange, older, clutching an Ellington record at the beginning of the book? What were these people talking about? The book is so good, but it leaves so much left unsaid. It's the same objection I had with Tony Kushner's fabulous, "Brundibar", as well. The book assumes its readers don't need additional information. The book is wrong. Just the same, don't pass it by. Grab this puppy and give your children a good reading. They may not get it at first, but this is one of those picture books that kids will appreciate for its beauty and resonance. It's a lovely display of some true American heroes.