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(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
In this poem first published in 1983, Brooks addresses "children in the world all around me and beyond me," all of whom "have a right to sing" and enjoy life. Both the words by the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet and Gilchrist's vibrant watercolors provide visions of the world's diverse array of children and families. An excellent read-aloud, useful for many programs on peace and multiculturalism.
40 pp.
| Viking
| October, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-670-01654-9$17.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
As a child in war-torn Rhodesia, the author wishes to go to school like her brothers. As an adult, she works hard to earn several degrees in America, afterward returning to Zimbabwe to make education possible for other girls. Illustrated with Gilchrist's emotive full-spread watercolors, this tale of passionate persistence reveals a different culture but a universal human-rights issue.
(1)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
Following an informative introduction, poignant poems tell the story of the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the cities of the North. Many of the pieces give voice to unnamed travelers' thoughts; Greenfield explores the heart of each person. Gilchrist's cut paper, ephemera, paint, and processed photographs create collages, adding the right air of seriousness and history to the poetry.
Reviewer: Robin L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2011
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
This picture book celebrates how brothers get along with brothers, sisters with sisters, and various other combinations. Greenfield imagines sibling bonds throughout life, covering a range of emotions but putting most of her emphasis on loving relationships. Gilchrist's paintings are warm, uncluttered portraits of African American families.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Ashley Bryan
&
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
Bryan and Gilchrist illustrate Gilchrist's celebratory poem ("Have you seen my country? Seen my magic skies?...Have you seen my people? We hail from every shore") in alternating spreads. Bryan's are riotously colored, swirling paeans to nature; Gilchrist's are quieter dreamlike portraits of children. The contrast in the artists' styles, plus the propulsive page turns, make for a successful poem-as-picture-book.
40 pp.
| Lee
| June, 2006
|
TradeISBN 1-58430-249-6$17.95
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
Each of these seventeen original short poems deals with war or other acts of violence and how the event affected the children who witnessed it. Despite the subject matter, many of the poems have a gentle tone. Powerful collage illustrations incorporate photographs and drawings. An author's note ties some of the poems to a specific time period and event.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins/Amistad
| January, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-06-000701-X$15.99
|
LibraryISBN 0-06-000702-8$16.89 New ed. (1975)
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
This thirtieth-anniversary edition is re-illustrated in full color by a frequent Greenfield collaborator. This timeless story of Janell and her imaginary friend Neesie is well served by the bright new illustrations of the mischievous girls at play.
Reviewer: Terri Schmitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
February, 1976
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
Greenfield's appealing collection of old and new poems celebrates the beauty of words and encourages listeners to let their own imaginations take wing. Gilchrist's fabric collage illustrations are sometimes fuzzily reproduced on unimaginatively designed pages. Ind.
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
A young African-American girl describes her favorite things: going for rides in the car, laughing, the way her Southern cousin talks. This sunny poem from Greenfield's 1978 collection of the same title has been previously illustrated by Gilchrist as a sturdy-paged book for preschoolers; this picture book features new illustrations--warm, realistic artwork of the girl's family scenes.
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
The black Americans featured here turned to the sea as a means of finding a way to get on with life "in spite of pain, grief and enormous obstacles." After introducing seven men and women who made distinguished contributions to nautical history, the engaging text profiles six twentieth-century seafarers and concludes with brief sketches of groups of individuals. Pencil drawings illustrate this fine, unusual collective biography. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2003
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
A young artist delights in "putting paint on paper" and creating imaginary dinosaurs inside her head. Humorous poems describe the "shoppersaurus," the "singersaurus," and the "messysaurus." Different typefaces as well as different illustration styles--watercolors for the girl and markers for the dinosaurs--distinguish between the poems about the girl's drawing process and verses about her fantasies.
32 pp.
| Lee
| June, 2000
|
TradeISBN 1-58430-008-6$$15.95
|
PaperISBN 1-58430-009-4$$6.95 1988, Philomel
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
In an introduction, Eloise Greenfield explains that her mother wrote these seventeen poems to reflect her childhood in the early 1900s. Little's verses offer an idyllic view of rural African-American life and culture and focus on family, church, school, and play. The pastel illustrations are a warm accompaniment to the simple poems, but some figures are stiffly rendered.
21 pp.
| HarperFestival
| September, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-694-01247-5$$9.95
(3)
PS
Harper Growing Tree series.
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
"Water in my fishbowl, / water on my face, / rainwater falling all over the place." This brief rhyming text introduces many of the ways a toddler encounters water, from rivers and streams to a wading pool to the sink, ending with water in the little boy's own cup. Large, sturdy card pages show an African-American boy and his parents walking in the rain, fishing, and taking a boat trip.
(3)
K-3
Thirty brief poems capture the special pleasures of summertime from selling lemonade and going barefoot to jumping double dutch and catching fireflies. The imagistic poems are written both in rhyme and free verse; their lighthearted tone nicely captures the carefree spirit of an all-too-short season. Artwork rendered in acrylic adds warm color and splash to the collection.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
Poems concerning angels both visionary and embodied in human personalities offer warmth and inspiration without an overabundance of sentimentality. Gilchrist's gently sepia-toned illustrations capture with realism and sensitivity the features of African-American children and adults--and angels.
(2)
K-3
Against the backdrop of World War II, young Leanna in Chicago and her cousin Elizabeth in Washington, D.C., prepare for an Easter parade. Greenfield's lyrical prose evokes a warm tone and depth of character and circumstance. Expressive sepia-colored illustrations in oval frames become cameo photographs from the family album in this testament to family love that sustains and emboldens.