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• My Block Looks Like (Janelle Harper (Author), Frank Morrison (Illustrator)) - 2024 Viking Books for Young Readers , New York, NY

• Frank Morrison website - https://morrisongraphics.com/

  Frank Morrison (b. 1971) started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. However, it was the opportunity to tour with music artist Sybil as a breakdancer, an influential high school art teacher, and a visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris that opened him up to new artistic and creative avenues.
  An early indoctrine into hip-hop culture can be seen through Morrison’s work, which has been dubbed a mash-up of urban mannerism, graffiti and abstract contemporary, and reflects deeply on the lost of human stories from past eras.
  Morrison strives to capture people as they are, translating emotions through his paintings and leaving a memoir of our life and times today. His work depicts African-American livelihood in a way that is both familiar and comforting to those who often feel histories have been forgotten and culture has been usurped.
  Citing both Ernie Barnes and Annie Lee as forebearers of this tradition, Morrison remarks on his practice, “My work dignifies the evolllution of everyday, underrepresented people and places within the urban landscape. I seek to both highlight and preserve the soul of the city through the lens of hip-hop culture and urban iconography. I want people to experience the visual rhythms that choreograph life for the average, everyday person.”
  Morrison’s work has been featured at Art Basel, Scope Miami and Red Dot art fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (sponsored by ESSENCE ART and Toyota) and Mason Fine Art Gallery (Atlanta, Georgia). His solo exhibitions include “Frank Morrison: Live, Love and Jazz” (2013) and “Graffiti” (2014), both at Richard Beavers Gallery (Brooklyn, New York).
  The William H. and Camille O. Cosby Collection, and the private collections of art patron Peggy Cooper-Cafritz and athlete Derek Jeter include work by Morrison. He has als been commissioned to create works for recording artist, producer and art curator Swizz Beats, and Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Jordan Peele’s film “Get Out”.
  An acclaimed illustrator Morrison’s work can be found in numerous award-winning children’s books including Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, NAACP Image Award winner Our Children Can Soar and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, Little Melba and her Big Trombone. His literary client list includes international book publishers Penguin Books, HarperCollins, Hyperion, Random House and National Geographic Kids.
  Continuing to celebrate the teacher that changed his life by insisting he visit his first art museum, Morrison signs each of his works “TTG (“Thanks to God”) to also show his gratitude for God’s plan in positioning him where he is today. “I know where I am is not by accident. I want to just be able to continue doing what I do.”
  Frank Morrison lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and five children.

• Mackin' Community - https://www.mackincommunity.com/2023/12/14/frank-morrisons-message-for-young-creators-if-i-could-you-can/

  Frank Morrison’s Message for Young Creators: “If I Could, You Can”
  By Lisa Bullard
  December 14, 2023
  Frank Morrison’s illustrations are infused with movement—bold, jubilant, vibrating, expressive—the artwork leaps off the pages of his books. Morrison, who started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, is now the illustrator of over twenty children’s books, the author/illustrator of Kick Push (Bloomsbury, 2022), and a multiple-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner. His titles take a joyful, vibrant look at the people living within the pulsing beat of a city. His newest book, My Block Looks Like (written by Janelle Harper, Viking), is coming out January 2, 2024, and is already generating starred reviews. Morrison’s other titles offer thought-provoking explorations of Black history and culture, like the award-winning Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual (written by Carole Boston Weatherford, Crown, 2022).

  Here, Morrison talks with Lisa Bullard about his focus on underrepresented people and places, making something out of nothing, and the school project that proved to be a revelation for him.

  My Block Looks Like is a wonderful example of the way that so many of your books celebrate urban life. Several of your other titles, like Standing in the Need of Prayer, illuminate Black history. What thoughts would you like to share with young readers about those two inspirations for your work?

  The works that I paint and the books that I choose to illustrate reflect social realism. I consider myself an Ashcan School painter. The artists of that movement focused on life in New York and on the city’s poorer neighborhoods. And so, I create images that show the underprivileged and reflect on their history. I chose to work on those two titles because I want to shine light on those who may be forgotten. The inspiration for My Block Looks Like drew upon dance battles with my daughter in my living room. Standing in the Need of Prayer took me back to the time of this TV show called Eyes on the Prize. One shows the struggle, the other shows the freedoms that came from the struggle.

  I want to shine light on those who may be forgotten.”

  Many of your books like How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee (written by Carole Boston Weatherford, Candlewick, 2023) and Harlem at Four (written by Michael Datcher, Random House, 2023) draw heavily on real people, places, and events. What is your research process like?

  I have an extensive collection of books on Black history. What I don’t have, I Google. If I’m able to find a book on the subject matter, then I buy that. I’m working on a project right now where I had no idea what the subject looked like as a young adult. After researching, not only did I find a book on him, I found images in a book that I could refer to as well.

  Do you have any suggestions for students who are learning how to do effective research?

  My biggest suggestion to students who are learning to research is this: build your library.

  Spreads from My Block Looks Like

  In a statement on your website—but also noticeably through your work—you demonstrate the fact that you highlight “everyday, underrepresented people and places.” Can you give young people some tips about how they can take inspiration from their own “everyday” environment and the people who populate it? Are there special ways that you as a creative person pay attention to the things around you?

  These are great questions! I believe everyone has a God-given gift. I also believe that it’s harder for certain groups of people to recognize their creative gifts, in the sense of drawing or writing, given their economic and social situations. Being able to dream and being poor, it sometimes clashes. But that being said, rappers in the 1980s rapped about their environment. Basquiat painted his environment. Use what you have around you, whatever you have access to—even if it’s only a piece of paper and a pencil—in order to develop your talent. I photograph, take notes, and sketch everything around me, from sunsets, to buildings, to people. Just paint your reality.

  Use what you have around you, whatever you have access to—even if it’s only a piece of paper and a pencil—in order to develop your talent. … Just paint your reality.”
  How does your artistic process work?

  First, I have to like the project, as well as find something that I can identify with in it. Then I research the subject. A book’s illustrations take anywhere between three to four months for me to produce. I have to be excited about the project for at least that long. So, I draw the sketches in a way that will make me want to come back and paint them three months later. I tend never to work on pieces that sit still. I need movement in my work, so adding certain mannerisms and perspectives to a sketch make me excited to work on that page in a visual sense when I paint.

  Do you have a final image in your head from the beginning, or do the images evolve considerably as you continue to work on them?

  My images do tend to evolve as they progress from sketch to final art, whether it’s the light source, color scheme, or something else.

  What other details might students find intriguing about how you create your illustrations?

  I sneak my daughter’s name, Tif, into every book or piece somehow. I’m a family man, so I draw a lot of inspiration from my children.

  Spreads from Kick Push

  You use perspective to such great effect in your art, both surprising and delighting readers with the unexpected viewpoints you present to them. Can you share some tips to help young artists learn how to incorporate perspective into their own drawings and paintings?

  Honestly, I don’t know how that happened; this is how I see life. Being able to make something out of nothing, you exaggerate, and I think this shows in my work. I don’t notice it anymore; this is just my style. But I will say, the true artist’s hand is reflected in their work. If you are a dancer, a graffiti artist, then we should see that. If you love cats, we’re gonna see cat hair. If you’re a neat person, then your art will be meticulous. I can’t tell someone how to be who they are. Don’t be bound by realism, though. Let your imagination take over. I also tend to view the works not from my perspective, but from the viewer’s perspective. I keep them first and always think, What would they like to see?

  The true artist’s hand is reflected in their work. If you are a dancer, a graffiti artist, then we should see that. If you love cats, we’re gonna see cat hair.”
  What would you like to tell young readers about your experiences growing up? How did that time in your life inform your art and the approach you take to illustrating and writing books?

  First, if I could, you can. I drew on anything I had around me. Being poor, I couldn’t be choosy. I drew the way children play video games, so for hours a day, I drew. That gave me the discipline to develop my work and skills. In 6th or 7th grade, there was a project where we had to draw on the door and turn it into a Halloween door. I wasn’t the best-dressed kid, but when my class picked me to be the artist, I realized I was still the most popular kid in the class because I could draw these Halloween characters on the door. It’s not just about what you own, it’s about your talent. I stayed thinking that way for the rest of my schooling, because you couldn’t buy talent, and so being underprivileged, my talent was priceless.

  Is there a particular book of yours that was most influenced by your childhood or teen years?

  My upcoming book Dragons in the Hood reflects on haves and have-nots and talent, and of all the books I’ve worked on, it is probably the most influenced by my childhood.

  Spreads from Standing in the Need of Prayer

  What’s your best advice for young readers who want to be artists, writers, or to pursue some other creative activity?

  Know your history. Whether it’s art history, literary history, whatever the medium, know the history behind what you’re working on. Research. You have to know where styles and other elements originated from because it shows the meaning behind your work. Build a library. If you can’t afford books, go to the local library. For artists, draw every day. Paint as much as possible. For authors, find and read as many books as possible. If you want to be an author, you have to, have to, read.

  Build a library. If you can’t afford books, go to the local library.”
  What’s your favorite part of creating books for young people?

  Being able to show the diversity of America in my books. Growing up, I didn’t find a lot of books with characters that looked like me that I enjoyed, and now I’m able to change that. So, I try to put everybody in my books.

  What would you like to tell your fans about your forthcoming books?

  Get ready for things that are tasty with When Alexander Graced the Table, and classic with The Notorious Brer Rabbit.

  What are the best ways for educators and librarians to connect with you or to follow you on social media?

  That would be on Instagram at @frankmorrison and on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/frank.morrison.980.

• The Horn Book - https://www.hbook.com/story/michael-datcher-and-frank-morrison-talk-with-roger-2023

  Michael Datcher and Frank Morrison Talk with Roger
  by Roger Sutton
  Sep 08, 2023 | Filed in Authors & Illustrators

  Talks with Roger is a sponsored supplement to our free monthly e-newsletter, Notes from the Horn Book. To receive Notes, sign up here.

  Sponsored by

  Random House Children’s Books

  Harlem is of course a place, but is also the name of Michael Datcher’s daughter, and in Harlem at Four, Datcher and painter Frank Morrison bring the two together for a memorable father-daughter outing.

  Roger Sutton: Michael, you said this book came about because your daughter, Harlem, wanted to know where all the pictures were in the book she’d already read.

  Michael Datcher: We have a library in the house, and I was in the next room. I heard some things crash to the floor, and I ran inside. I said to my daughter, who’s a very precocious young girl, “Baby, you okay?” There were books all over the place. She said, “Dad, I probably shouldn’t tell you what happened.” I said, “No, you can tell Dad anything.” “I’ve looked at all the books you’ve written, Dad. I went through every one of your books, and there’s not one picture in any of these books. Your books are horrible, Dad.” As a result, I did some research on writing children’s books, and, to make a long story short, I wrote a book so she could have a book with actual pictures in it.

  RS: What picture books had Harlem been enjoying?

  MD: Islandborn by Junot Díaz—she loved that book. Mostly books with people of color. But nothing that Dad wrote was good enough for her.

  RS: What was the hardest part about writing a picture book?

  MD: Trying to figure out how to make the book emotionally relevant but age appropriate. I write novels. I write pretty hard-core nonfiction about politics and culture. And I write literary theory. Dense, theoretical tomes. Trying to make a book that was interesting and smart, but also accessible for a four-, five-, six-year-old kid, was a challenge.

  RS: You knew you were writing a picture book, but Frank was not yet on board to illustrate it, is that right?

  MD: That’s correct. My editor at Random House, Annie Kelley, is great. Most editors don’t give writers a chance to have any input on the illustrator. She sent me samples from a couple of artists, which were great but didn’t really capture, in my opinion, the emotions I wanted for the book. She sent Frank’s work, and I thought, This is the guy who can capture Harlem. I am sure.

  Frank Morrison: Oh, man.

  MD: I was so moved. I’m not really a big crier—crying is fine. Crying is even healthy. It’s not my thing. But when I saw the first pictures that Frank did, I actually cried. They were so powerful. You got me over here crying, bro.

  RS: These were examples from Frank’s previous work, or the sketches for this book?

  MD: No, for this book. It was so impressive.

  FM: I had told everyone, “I’m slowing down. I’m not going to take on as many projects.” But when this manuscript came across the board, it was an opportunity I’d never had before, to work on a father-daughter book. When my family lived on Coney Island, I’d take my kids to the boardwalk, put them on my shoulders, and that kind of stuff. That special bond between an African American father and his daughter—that was something I had not, up until that point, come across in a book. So I said yes. And then I met Mike and we connected. It was a definite yes.

  RS: There’s a father-daughter theme, which is a universal theme, but what is it you’re saying about African American fathers and daughters in particular?

  MD: For me, the discourse around Black men is that we are not present, that we make babies and do not take care of them, that Black men are not good fathers. Of course, negligent fathers exist in all racial backgrounds. But in my own experience as a very hard-core, hard-working, good Black father, I thought it was important to help to subvert that discourse by representing my own true story about me and my daughter. All the events in this book are basically from our everyday real life together—going to jazz concerts, reggae concerts, painting, drawing, just being together. I thought it was important to have that example in terms of narrative but also visually. What Frank did with these pictures is so powerful. The melding of the image and the words—Roger, books have changed my life. I was on a very different path as an undergrad. I was going to do business, but I took a literature course and had my whole life transformed. I’m a true believer in the power of books. I felt like a great book showing a Black father-daughter relationship that had kind of an artsy vibe as well could be transformative in terms of helping to change the discourse around Black fathers and daughters.

  RS: Frank, what about you? The opportunity to illustrate a book about Black fathers and daughters.

  FM: I’m a Black father. I have five children. I just wanted to show the joy of fatherhood. I wanted to show that to the other guys out there, the men who step up, they’re not alone. It’s taking the kids to the park. Taking them to the movies, and they’re sitting down, and you look in their eyes, watching the movie. We talked about reading books to them—I remember the first books I read to my daughters and my sons. I’m pointing to the words, and they’re listening and understanding there’s meaning between these words and these images. They can’t wait to get to the next page. I’d say, “All right, that’s enough,” and they’d be like, “Dad, keep going!” You get to tease them and all that stuff. I love painting, but I love family just as much. The people who are there to support you. You can be corny with them. The dad jokes.

  RS: I love a good dad joke.

  FM: That’s what it’s about, man, being able to represent the dads out here: to show them it’s cool to be out here.

  MD: You mention the word cool. At times, I’m sure in every community, there are different types of environments or characters that are attractive to certain parts of the population. My neighborhood, coming up, the cool guys were the gangsters I knew, the players, the hustlers. I wanted to make being smart cool, make being a father attractive. In my neighborhood, it was corny to be a dad; it was corny to be a guy who was smart. If I can, I want to participate in making being a responsible dad attractive.

  FM: Yes, yes.

  MD: By having a book with Frank’s images, and hopefully my poem—

  FM: Hopefully? Come on, man.

  MD: Know how beautiful and powerful and inspiring it is to be a dad.

  FM: Being a dad is great. I’m ready to illustrate what you just wrote.

  RS: In the business, we talk about books that we—probably sexistly—refer to as “grandma traps,” books that tell adults: “You’re such a great grandmother. You’re such a great dad. You’re such a great mom.” Kid doesn’t care, right? But the book is meant for the kid. How do you keep the focus on the kid?

  FM: I think the visuals help with that. You have Harlem playing the guitar. You’ve got her painting, and her dad painting her. That exploding science-project volcano. Mike’s so lyrical with his flow, it made it easy to paint off his manuscript. I’m hoping kids can follow this dreamscape of fatherhood that we put together.

  MD: I think Frank’s right. The pictures, the images, are what’s going to bring the kid in. The images are so attractive. It’s just getting the parents excited about the book so they read it to the kid. The kid will always feel the energy of the parents. A Disney or Pixar film, although they’re kids’ films, as we know, they’re also aimed at adults.

  RS: For young children, you’ve definitely got to pull the parents in. If the picture book has an aura of “parents suck”—it’s the parent who buys the book, so that’s not going to happen.

  FM: I want kids to have their favorite book that they don’t want to put down. “Can we read this again tonight?!” That’s what Michael did. Reading this book, it’s like you’re out there, walking around town, walking around Harlem. You go to Ray’s Hot Dog for a hot dog and something to drink. You go to Central Park. You go on the subway. You’re people-watching. Then you go and visit the Studio Museum in Harlem. What does it cost you? Train fare and some hot dogs. And you’re having moments with your children. Moments is what this is about.

  MD: A lot of times people would think that being a dad means you have to go on expensive trips, go on a vacation. Really? Kids just want you to be there, be present. My book is really just about us hanging out. We’re going to the museum, we’re going to the gallery, we’re listening to street musicians, we go to the beach. That’s our everyday life. It wasn’t like we were going to some big event. We were just hanging out together. That’s what they want to do—be with their dad.

  RS: How did you find that balance of the father-daughter relationship, plus contemporary Harlem, plus historical Harlem?

  MD: My daughter is named after the Harlem Renaissance because I am a fan of that period, as is her mother. We wanted to honor that and give her the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. I like Black people. I like Black culture. Harlem is a unique spot in Manhattan because it’s a very Black neighborhood still. I wanted to have that balance of showing the day-to-day but also being able to show that my daughter Harlem is connected to a tradition of special Black people. To be anyone in America today is already a victory. To be Black in America and to be alive and to thrive is a miracle.

  RS: Frank, I love that moment in the book when we go back to historical Harlem, and all of a sudden the pictures, until now all loose and expressionistic, right up, all proper. I didn’t know if that was on purpose.

  FM: That part, about the history, took a lot of effort, a lot of research. You can’t just paint anything. You have to find out the clothes, the styles. On one of the spreads, you see two sets of families coming together, almost like a migration moment. You see one little girl looking over at the other page at another little girl. Maybe they’re going to be neighbors. Maybe they’re going to be friends. Maybe they met on a train. You get this little moment. That’s what I love doing with picture books: I love trying to elaborate off of the theme. We called it freestyling—we each just did our little thing and came back.

  MD: That’s right, yeah. I think you’re right, Roger, about the second half of the book. The uprightness that Frank incorporates —

  FM: The words, bro.

  MD: It’s a sense of self-respect, of standing up against whatever’s coming our way. Those pictures in the second half of the book—it’s very powerful. You can feel the Black pride in the face of oppression and whatever’s happening in that environment, because they are so upright. There’s a feeling of rightness, of integrity, of dignity, in the face of anti-Blackness. I love the second part. People always respond to that part of the book.

  RS: You’ve gone from this unrestrained exuberance, all the graffiti in the first part, wild pictures, expressionist tones. Now we’re back in 1900s Harlem. It was really cool.

  FM: Thank you. And I have to thank Random House. They have some great editors. They are the bomb. I can’t wait to work with them again. They gave me so much freedom to dream and make mistakes and come back—that means a lot, to have a great author, great editors, and a wonderful publishing house. To make magic, those are the ingredients.

  MD: Editing is a mysterious art form, you know. I’ve been edited, and I’ve also been an editor myself. I’ve worked with editors who were not good, frankly. Annie is very, very good at her job. Editing is a unique skill set. If we have a good editor who has good ideas and knows how to bring it out of you, that makes a huge difference. I’m really grateful. This book is a true collaboration—Annie’s vision, my vision, Frank’s vision coming together. It was a true team effort.

  RS: Frank, maybe this is a technical question, but as the illustrator, do you work more closely with the editor or with the art director?

  FM: Neither. I’m freestyling.

  RS: You’re freestyling, sure, but someone has to pick those paintings.

  FM: I’m dancing. I’m dancing in the studio and couldn’t care less about anything. Then they bring it in. Sometimes they would play good cop, bad cop. Like, “Oh, wow, this is interesting.” The I-word, interesting. “That’s—we didn’t think of that. Let’s put a pin in it.” What I loved about the editors I worked with is they gave me that creative freedom to find my vision for this book, find my vision for the story. They trusted me to do what I do. Then of course we do have edits. No one’s perfect. I have books where I’ve been over-edited. Have you had that, where you’ve been over-edited? You feel like a robot. Those books just come out stiff.

  RS: It is kind of a miracle, the way that you can have one guy writing words, another guy making pictures, and then two, three, or four other people working together to make those two initial contributions.

  MD: It’s amazing.

  FM: Yeah, it really is. Our job is to inspire.

  MD: There it is. This book is really inspirational. Visually it’s so inspiring. You feel proud—in part two of the book you feel like, Wow, I’m a part of a tradition. These people, these migrants who came north from the South, who made a way out of nowhere. Inspiring stuff, man. And my daughter’s name...Harlem was the first major stop of the Great Migration. The back of the book has the glossary, the endnotes, which I think are really important for teachers, for parents, and for kids, eventually, to learn about some of the names and figures in the book, to offer more context to the story. That was also Annie’s idea.

  RS: Why do you think the Harlem Renaissance happened? What was it about Harlem at that time that caused such a flowering?

  FM: I’ve got an idea on that. I live in Atlanta, and every once in a while I’ll ride by this barbeque place. They have that pit outside, and you smell it. People gather. In Harlem, you had all this talent coming together. You had these jazz artists coming together, from New Orleans and Chicago. You had the artists that were bringing ideas from all over the place. And you’ve got my man up there writing—Langston Hughes. You’ve got my guy downtown, Jacob Lawrence. You’ve got Romare Bearden. You’ve got all these artists coming together. You’ve got thousands and thousands of people in this hustle and bustle, and now these creative juices are flowing. They’re together now, not separated, not one state and the other state. The ideas are coming together like LEGO at this point. How could you not notice or hear or smell? I would love to go to Sylvia’s, if it’s still around, but there are a couple of other restaurants from the time that are there. And then you’ve got the Apollo. You can sing, but can you sing? People put all this talent together in Harlem.

  RS: And integrating so many different kinds of arts. Langston Hughes is writing poetry, he’s writing novels, he was writing books for children. You had other people doing fine art. You had people doing illustration. You had dancers in both popular dance and classical dance. It must have been an amazing time and place.

  FM: Could you imagine? You could throw a piece of paper in the air and it comes down with music notes on it.

  MD: You on a roll, bro. You said all this.

• The Horn Book - https://www.hbook.com/story/profile-of-2023-csk-illustrator-award-winner-frank-morrison

  Profile of 2023 CSK Illustrator Award winner Frank Morrison
  by Sonali Fry
  Jul 17, 2023 | Filed in Book Awards

  Sonali Fry and Frank Morrison. Photo courtesy of Sonali Fry.

  Every time I speak with Frank Morrison, I learn a cool fact about him. For instance, during one conversation, he told me that when he was a child, his favorite pastime was drawing Quicky, the official Nestle’s Nesquik mascot. What would he draw on? Fancy sketchpads? Reams of construction paper? Nope! Frank would draw on the pieces of white and tan cardboard that came with his mother’s L’eggs egg-shaped pantyhose containers. I find this tidbit not only endearing but also quite telling. Frank’s goal was to draw, and he found ways to make that happen. This one example speaks to the grit and determination he has demonstrated throughout his life so that he could follow his dreams, make a difference, and inspire others.

  I first met Frank at an ALA conference in 2015. I was working at Little Bee Books at the time, and when I saw him signing Little Melba and Her Big Trombone (written by Katheryn Russell-Brown) at Lee & Low’s booth, I went over and introduced myself. I didn’t have a project in hand for him at the time, but I gave Frank some background information about Little Bee Books and told him that I hoped he would consider working with us someday.

  Several months later, I had the perfect manuscript for him to illustrate: The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop, written by Carole Boston Weatherford. The fabulous text was a love letter to the pioneers of hip-hop, and Frank was immediately taken with the manuscript because 1) Carole, with whom he adored working, had written it; and 2) Frank grew up with this culture.

  The first time Frank heard rap music was in his grandmother’s backyard, via a one-speaker radio. “It was Run-DMC, Sucker M.C.’s, and then Planet Rock.” Frank said that “the beats were phenomenal,” and he and his brother “were paralyzed by the music.” Up to this point they had been listening to what their parents listened to, because they didn’t know there were other options. They found familiar beats in hip-hop because it felt like a remix of their parents’ music.

  Hip-hop opened up a whole new world for Frank. In the Bronx in the eighties, “destruction was all around. There was a wall left over from a demolished building. They had a whole world created around us that was counterculture to what was happening in our parents’ world. Hip-hop accepted us. You found how you fit in,” he said. Frank still listens to hip-hop while he’s working and likens it to wine. He doesn’t like the current flavors as much, but he savors the “vintage” hip-hop, like Nas from 1990. “It has an oaky flavor to it, but it’s great!”

  Many of Frank’s books feature his signature graffiti artwork. When he was living in New Jersey in the late eighties, Frank started drawing on walls in parks. He hung out with a group of friends who taught him how to create graffiti. They would go to New York and be inspired by the urban hieroglyphs of downtown Manhattan. Seeing these elaborate works pushed Frank to improve his own work. He practiced painting every day and refined his technique. In the nineties, when he was selling his fine art, he was encouraged by Bruce Teleky, an art distributor, to paint his community as it was at the time. Frank started painting detailed scenes and landscapes using his graffiti style. For The Roots of Rap, he used this style to portray the founders of hip-hop. Frank’s electrifying paintings captivate us as we get an introduction to the essence of rap. He poured so much of himself into this book, and the energy in each piece vibrates off the page. Frank says that even today, he’s constantly practicing his graffiti skills and learning new techniques. He loves writing with graffiti crews and “will do walls for exercise!”

  * * *

  I saw Frank again in October 2019 at The Original Art exhibit of the Society of Illustrators, after I had started working at Random House. Frank told me he was hoping to take on fewer book projects so he could focus on his fine art. This worried me because I had been editing Carole Boston Weatherford’s reworked lyrics for “Standing in the Need of Prayer,” and I really wanted Frank to illustrate this book. I was able to talk with him for a few minutes about the text, and I saw his excitement grow. Frank appreciates that Carole “is capturing unsung stories that we need to know.” To my delight, he accepted this project.

  Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual chronicles the milestones, tragedies, and triumphs of African American history. It details a past that is painful, and illustrating this kind of subject matter in a picture book can be tricky. However, Frank wasn’t afraid to embrace this head-on. I remember him saying, “This is history. We can’t escape it or pretend it didn’t happen.” Frank interpreted the text himself and created the most emotive and sometimes heart-wrenching scenes. Every piece of art takes your breath away.

  As soon as we open the book, we see the front endpapers depicting a harrowing scene of an enslaved boy about to experience brutality. Later on, we see a stone being thrown at Ruby Bridges. This illustration has a unique angle and perspective. We see Ruby’s defiance in her face, even with the crowd’s anger and insults. Frank angled Ruby so that she’s almost at a diagonal to the page. It’s as if she’s rising above the hate, which is what she and so many others had to do in order to survive. On the back cover, we see an illustration of a present-day Black girl leaning against a sign that says, “MY LIFE STILL MATTERS.” This girl knows she has a purpose and that she deserves to be heard. There’s a stark contrast between the enslaved child at the beginning of the book and this child at the end who is free to live her life as she chooses. Frank did this to put a hopeful spin on the book — things can get better: Truth. Pain. Hope.

  The cover was the last part to be created. Frank submitted several sketches, and while they were beautiful, they weren’t quite right…yet. This was a challenge: how do you capture the essence of such a dynamic book in one image? In the end, art director Nicole de las Heras and I got on a Zoom call with Frank, and he sketched as we brainstormed ideas. It was captivating to watch Frank work, and to see him lay the foundation for this stunning cover in real time.

  This past January, Frank’s magnificent work on Standing in the Need of Prayer was recognized when he won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. So many people told me that they had tears in their eyes when the book appeared onscreen during the ALA awards pres­entation. This cover stops you in your tracks; it’s that powerful, and it’s impossible to not be moved when you see it.

  Looking through Frank’s books is like walking through an art gallery. He can transport you to another time or put you in the middle of a cultural movement, while making the connection between past and present. He teaches us about American history — the parts we’re proud of, and the parts we can’t deny. His illustrations stop readers and make them pause on each page, absorbing the emotion. This is what he’s accomplished with Standing in the Need of Prayer, and this is what he’ll continue to do with every gorgeous piece of work he creates. I can’t wait to see how he’ll wow us next.

  From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine: Special Issue: ALA Awards. For more speeches, profiles, and articles, click the tag ALA 2023.

• Wikipedia -

  Frank Morrison (illustrator)

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  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Frank Morrison
  Born 1971 (age 53–54)
  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  Occupation Illustrator
  Period 2004–present
  Notable works
  The Roots of Rap (2019)
  How Do You Spell Unfair? (2023)
  Notable awards
  John Steptoe Award for New Talent (2005)
  Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor (2015, 2019)
  Crystal Kite Award (2017)
  Coretta Scott King Award (2021, 2023)
  Website
  morrisongraphics.com
  Frank Morrison (born 1971)[1] is an American illustrator of children's literature and graffiti artist.

  Before becoming an illustrator, Morrison travelled globally as a breakdancer with The Sugarhill Gang.[2][3]

  Morrison published his first book, Brenda C. Roberts's Jazzy Miz Mozetta, with Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2004. His illustrations for the book won him the 2005 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator). He has since illustrated over 35 published, including fiction and non-fiction picture books, books for early readers, and middle grade books. In 2022, he published his debut book as a writer and illustrator, Kick Push, with Bloomsbury USA. Since publishing his first book, he has received many awards and honors, including winning a Crystal Kite Award and two Coretta Scott King Awards in addition to the John Steptoe Award.

  As of 2024, Morrison lives with his wife and five children in Atlanta.[4]

  Awards and honors
  Fourteen of Morrison's books are Junior Library Guild selections: ¡Jonron! (Out of the Ballpark) (2007);[5] Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up (2008);[6] Keena Ford and the Secret Journal Mix-Up (2010);[7] Long Shot (2010);[8] The Quickest Kid in Clarksville (2016);[9] How Sweet the Sound (2018);[10] March Forward, Girl (2018);[11] Starstruck (2018);[12] The Roots of Rap (2019);[13] Above the Rim (2020);[14] Kick Push (2022);[15] Uncle John's City Garden (2022);[16] How Do You Spell Unfair? (2023);[17] and My Block Looks Like (2024).[18]

  In 2015, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) included Little Melba and Her Big Trombone on their list of the year's Notable Children's Books.[19]

  In 2016, Booklist included The Quickest Kid in Clarksville on their list of the "Top 10 Sports Books for Youth".[20]

  In 2017, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground was on Booklist's list of the "Top 10 Arts Books for Youth".[21] The following year, they included it on their "Top 10 Diverse Fiction for Older and Middle Readers" list,[22] and the ALSC named it among the year's Notable Children Books.[23]

  In 2018, Booklist included How Sweet the Sound on their "Top 10 Religion & Spirituality for Youth" list.[24] The same year, the New York Public Library named March Forward, Girl among the best books of the year.[11] The following year, the ALSC named both March Forward, Girl and Let the Children March among the year's Notable Children's Books.[25]

  In 2019, The Roots of Rap was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library,[26] Kirkus Reviews,[27] and the New York Public Library.[28] Booklist also included it on their list of the "Top 10 Arts Books for Youth".[29]

  In 2020, Booklist included R-E-S-P-E-C-T on their list of the "Top 10 Arts Books for Youth".[30] The same year, they included Above the Rim on their "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth" list.[31] The following year, it was on Booklist's "Top 10 Sports Books for Youth" list,[32] and the ALSC named it a Notable Children's Book.[33]

  In 2023, Booklist included Breaking to the Beat! on their lists of the "Top 10 Sports Books for Youth" and "Top 10 Arts Books for Youth".[34][35] The same year, they included How Do You Spell Unfair? on their "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth" list.[36] Kirkus Reviews also named it among the best picture books of 2023,[37] and Bank Street College of Education named it a book of outstanding merit merit for children ages five to nine in 2024.[38] That year, the ALSC and International Literacy Association (CL/R SIG) named it a notable children's book,[39][40] and Booklist named it among the "Top 10 History Books for Youth".[41]

  Awards for Morrison's books and illustrations
  Year Title Award Result Ref.
  2005 Jazzy Miz Mozetta John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator) Won [3]
  2015 I Got Rhythm CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards for Sing Won [42]
  Little Melba and Her Big Trombone Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor [43]
  NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children Finalist [44]
  Orbis Pictus Award Nominated [45]
  2017 Clayton Byrd Goes Underground Crystal Kite Award for Midwest Won [46]
  National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist [47]
  One Last Word Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Fiction Honor [48]
  2019 Let the Children March Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor [49]
  2020 The Roots of Rap Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration Honor [50]
  2021 R-E-S-P-E-C-T Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Won [51]
  The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children Finalist [52]
  2023 Standing in the Need of Prayer Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Picture Book Honor [48]
  Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Won [53]
  Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration Finalist [54]
  2024 How Do You Spell Unfair? Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist [55]
  Publications
  As author
  Picture books (fiction)
  Kick Push. Bloomsbury. 2022. ISBN 978-1-5476-0592-7.[56]
  As illustrator
  Early reader (fiction)
  Thomson, Melissa (2008). Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix Up. Dial Books. ISBN 978-0-803-73263-6.[6]
  Thomson, Melissa (2010). Keena Ford and the Secret Journal Mix-Up. Dial Books. ISBN 978-0-803-73465-4.[7]
  Early reader (nonfiction)
  Weinstein, Muriel Harris (2010). Play, Louis, Play!: The True Story of a Boy and His Horn. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-599-90375-0.[57]
  Smith Jr., Charles R. (2012). Stars in the Shadows: The Negro League All-Star Game of 1934. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-689-86638-8.[58]
  DePrince, Michaela; DePrince, Elaine (2014). Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer. Random House Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-385-75515-3.[59]
  Middle grade (fiction)
  Williams-Garcia, Rita (2017). Clayton Byrd Goes Underground. Quill Tree Books. ISBN 978-0-062-21591-8.[60]
  Zoboi, Ibi (2019). My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. Dutton Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-399-18735-3.[61]
  Middle grade (nonfiction)
  Grimes, Nikki (2017). One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-619-63554-8.[62]
  Beals, Melba Pattillo (2018). March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine. Clarion Books. ISBN 978-1-328-88212-7.[63]
  Picture books (fiction)
  Roberts, Brenda C. (2004). Jazzy Miz Mozetta. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-33674-5.[64]
  Taylor, Debbie A. (2004). Sweet Music in Harlem. Lee & Low. ISBN 978-1-58430-165-3.[65]
  Norman, Lissette (2006). My Feet Are Laughing. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-35096-3.[66]
  Queen Latifah (2006). Queen of the Scene. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-077856-9.[67]
  Rodriguez, Alex (2007). Out of the Ballpark. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-115197-2.[68]
  Abrahams, Peter (2011). Quacky Baseball. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-122978-7.[69]
  Barrett, Mary Brigid (2011). Shoebox Sam. Zonderkidz. ISBN 978-0-310-71549-8.[70]
  Schofield-Morrison, Connie (2014). I Got the Rhythm. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-619-63178-6.[71]
  Miller, Pat Zietlow (2017). The Quickest Kid in Clarksville. Chronicle. ISBN 978-1-4521-2936-5.[72]
  London, C. Alexander (2018). The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl!. Philomel Books. ISBN 978-0-399-54893-2.[73]
  Schofield-Morrison, Connie (2020). I Got the School Spirit. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-5476-0261-2.[74]
  Harper, Janelle (2020). My Block Looks Like. Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-593-52630-9.[75]
  Ford, Bernette G. (2022). Uncle John's City Garden. Holiday House. ISBN 978-0-8234-4786-2.[76]
  Acevedo, Linda J. (2023). Breaking to the Beat!. Lee & Low Books. ISBN 978-164-379639-0.[77]
  Picture books (nonfiction)
  Taylor, Gaylia (2006). George Crum and the Saratoga Chip. Lee & Low Books. ISBN 978-1-584-30255-1.[78]
  Paul, Chris (2009). Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-4169-5079-0.[79]
  Pelé (2010). For the Love of Soccer!. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-423-11538-0.[80]
  Russell-Brown, Katheryn (2014). Little Melba and Her Big Trombone. Lee & Low Books. ISBN 978-1-600-60898-8.[81]
  Barretta, Gene (2017). Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born. Katherine Tegen Books. ISBN 978-0-06-243016-8.[82]
  Weatherford, Carole Boston (2018). How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-48-147206-7.[83]
  Clark-Robinson, Monica (2018). Let the Children March. Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-544-70452-7.[84]
  Weatherford, Carole Boston (2018). The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop. little bee books. ISBN 978-1499804119.[85]
  Krull, Kathleen; Brewer, Paul (2018). Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson. Crown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-399-55024-9.[86]
  Bryant, Jen (2020). Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-4197-4108-1.[87]
  Barretta, Gene (2020). The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-243015-1.[88]
  Weatherford, Carole Boston (2020). R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-534-45228-2.[89]
  Weatherford, Carole Boston (2022). Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual. Crown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-59-330634-5.[90]
  Datcher, Michael (2023). Harlem at Four. Random House Studio. ISBN 978-0-5934-2933-4.[91]
  Weatherford, Carole Boston (2023). How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee. Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-1-536-21554-0.[92]

• Painted Words - https://www.painted-words.com/portfolio/frank-morrison/

  Frank Morrison

  Agent: Lori Nowicki

  Frank Morrison started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. It wasn’t until he visited the Louvre Museum in Paris with his dancing group, that he realized painting was his true creative path. His work has been featured at Art Basel, Scope Miami and Red Dot art fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Mason Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta, GA. He is the illustrator of over 20 children’s books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winners Standing in the Need of Prayer and R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books, Little Melba and her Big Trombone and Let the Children March. Frank was a Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Silver Medal Honoree two years in a row, for The Roots of Rap and R-E-S-P-E-C-T. His debut author-illustrated picture book is Kick Push.

  Client List
  Cole Haan
  Doritos
  ESPN
  National Urban League
  NFL
  Jordan Peele/Universal Pictures
  Blick Art Materials
  The Robb Report
  Swizz Beatz
  Penguin Books
  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  Dial
  Bloomsbury USA Childrens
  Simon & Schuster Books
  HarperCollins
  Zonderkidz
  Hyperion
  Lee & Low Books
  Tricycle Press
  Chronicle Books
  Random House
  Scholastic
  Club House Jr
  National Geographics Kids

  Awards / Honors
  2024 Starred Reviews (Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers Weekly) – When Alexander Graced the Table
  2024 Bank Street Best of the Year – Breaking to the Beat!, How Do You Spell Unfair?
  2024 Black Caucus ALA Best of the Best List 2023 – How Do You Spell Unfair and Harlem at Four
  2023 Jane Addams Peace Association Children’s Book Award – How Do You Spell Unfair?
  2023 Kirkus Best of 2023 – Breaking to the Beat!, How Do You Spell Unfair?
  2023 Starred Reviews (Hornbook, Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal) – Breaking to the Beat!
  2023 Globe/Hornbook Award Honor Book – Standing in the Need of Prayer
  2023 Starred Review (School Library Journal) Harlem at Four
  2023 Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year- Uncle John’s City Garden
  2023 Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year –Standing in the Need of Prayer
  2023 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award – Standing in the Need of Prayer
  2023 ALSC Notable Children’s Book – Standing in the Need of Prayer
  2022 Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book – Uncle John’s City Garden
  2022 Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year – Standing in the Need of Prayer
  2022 Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year – Kick Push
  2022 Society of Illustrators Original Art – Standing in the Need of Prayer
  2022 Society of Illustrators Original Art – Kick Push
  2022 American Illustration 41
  2022 4 Starred Reviews (Kirkus, SLJ, Hornbook, Booklist) – Standing in the Need of a Prayer
  2021 Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Award- R-E-S-P-E-C-T
  2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor – Let the Children March
  2015 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2005 Coretta Scott King, John Steptoe Award, New Talent – Jazzy Miz Mozetta
  2020 Society of Illustrators Original Art, Silver Medal – R-E-S-P-E-C-T
  2019 Society of Illustrators Original Art, Silver Medal – The Roots of Rap
  2019 Golden Kite Honor Book- The Roots of Rap
  2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
  2018 National Book Award Nominee – Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
  2022 California Young Reader Medal Nominee – Let the Children March
  2022 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award – Above the Rim
  2022 Virginia Reading Makes Cents Program – The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
  2022 TLA Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List- Above the Rim
  2020 SLJ Best Nonfiction Books – R-E-S-P-E-C-T
  2019 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 – Starstruck
  2019 Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best List- The Roots of Rap
  2019 New York Public Library’s Best Books of the Year- The Roots of Rap
  2019 Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year- I Got the Christmas Spirit & Let the Children March & Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson
  2019 Georgia Center for the Book’s Books All Georgians Should Read – The Roots of Rap
  2019 Booklist’s Top 10 Art Books for Youths – The Roots of Rap
  2018 Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year- One Last Word & Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
  2017 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books – Clayton Byrd Goes Underground and One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance
  2017 NYPL’s Best Books for Kids – One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance
  2017 Bank Street’s Best Children Books of the Year – The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
  2017 CCBC Choices – The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
  2017 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People – The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
  2016 Junior Library Guild Selection – The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
  2016-17 Nominated for North Carolina’s Children’s Book Award – The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
  2016 Bold and Fearless’s 28 Books Every Black Girl Should Read This Black History Month – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  Amazon’s Best Books of the Month: Ages 6-8 for February – The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
  NYC Reads 365 Recommended Reading List for Grade 4 – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 NAACP Image Award Nomination, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 CCBC Choice – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 CL/R SIG Notable Book for a Global Society – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 Bank Street College of Education, Best Books of the Year – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 Bank Street College of Education, Best Books of the Year – I Got the Rhythm
  2015 Anti-Defamation League’s February Book of the Month – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2015 Books All Georgians Should Read – I Got the Rhythm
  2014 CSMCL Best Multicultural Books – Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
  2012-1013 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee – Play,Louis,Play
  USA Today 4.5 star review of Stars in the Shadows
  2010 NAACP Image Award for Our Children can Soar

Uncle John's City Garden

Bernette G. Ford, author

Frank Morrison, illustrator

Holiday House

www.holidayhouse.com

9780823447862, $18.99, HC, 32pp

https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Johns-City-Garden-Bernette/dp/0823447863

Synopsis: Visiting the city from her home in the suburbs, an African American girl sees how a few packets of seeds, some helping hands, and hard work transform an empty lot in a housing project into a magical place where vegetables grow and family gathers. It's the magic of nature in the heart of the city!

"Uncle John's City Garden" is author Bernette Ford's autobiographical picture book story giving young readers a loving glimpse at a girl, her siblings, and her uncle, and their shared passion for farming.

L'l Sissy's fascination with measurement, comparison, and estimation introduces children to STEM concepts. And the progress of Uncle John's garden introduces readers to the life cycle of plants.

Critique: Impressively illustrated with dramatic cityscapes as well as the luscious colors and textures of Nature, "Uncle John's City Garden" is an original, entertaining, informative and inspiring picture book story for children ages 4-8. While also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Uncle John's City Garden" is an especially recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library African-American, Gardening, and City Life picture book collections.

Editorial Note #1: Bernette Ford is the co-author of the ground-breaking "Bright Eyes, Brown Skin". She is also author of the Ballet Kitty series, "No More Diapers for Ducky", and for "Holiday House", and "First Snow". She is highly regarded in the children's book community, and particularly in the African American children's book community. Uncle John's City Garden, inspired by her uncle's urban garden and is her first book with Holiday House.

Editorial Note #2: Before becoming a children's book illustrator, Frank Morrison was a graffiti artist and break dancer. While on tour in Europe, he visited the Louvre, where paintings by the Masters inspired him to take his art in a new direction. Frank has won a Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal. "Uncle John's City Garden" is his first book for Holiday House.

Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Uncle John's City Garden." Children's Bookwatch, June 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A710638917/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4c0dc28b. Accessed 3 May 2025.

Weatherford, Carole Boston STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER Crown (Children's None) $18.99 9, 20 ISBN: 978-0-593-30634-5

Weatherford infuses the lyrics of a traditional spiritual with pivotal events in African American history.

In four-line stanzas, references to the unseen narrator ("It's me, it's me, O Lord"), the ancestors, and present-day children alternate with the line "Standing in the need of prayer." From "families enslaved and sold apart," "a band of rebels," and "freedmen seeking kin at Emancipation" to Black students integrating all-White schools, athletes breaking records, and choirs singing of justice and freedom, African Americans from across the eras and generations are humbled before God as they face mighty obstacles with brave resistance and endurance. Readers don't need to know the song to enjoy this book; the repeated lines have the power of an incantation, inducing a meditation on all that Black people have survived and how they have thrived. Morrison's elegant, emotional, painterly illustrations highlight the beauty, dignity, and grace of the people throughout difficult and degrading circumstances. Rich earth tones, texture, and light invite the eye to linger on the varied, portrait-style compositions. Not just for faithful homes, this is a book that can spark conversations about Black history from a strengths-based lens, with culture and coping as the focus. Brief notes discuss the figures and topics referenced in the main text, and an author's note explains the importance of spirituals to the culture and to Weatherford personally. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Gorgeous and enlightening, nourishing both mind and soul. (online resources) (Historical picture book. 4-10)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Weatherford, Carole Boston: STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A715353078/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c9240def. Accessed 3 May 2025.

Datcher, Michael HARLEM AT FOUR Random House Studio (Children's None) $18.99 9, 19 ISBN: 9780593429334

An ode to two Harlems.

Datcher attempts to celebrate both the year his daughter Harlem turned 4 and "the magical fourth year of the 1900s," when Philip A. Payton Jr. founded the Afro-American Realty Company--an act that would make housing more readily available to African Americans moving north during the Great Migration. In Part 1, a Black father narrates, offering a poetic tribute to his confident, creative daughter, Harlem. As the two stroll through the neighborhood she was named for, the narrator mentions historical events and works of art such as John Coltrane's album A Love Supreme. Father and daughter never appear in Part 2 as readers learn more about Payton and the history of Harlem. While all readers, regardless of their knowledge of Harlem, will be able to enjoy Morrison's lively, graffiti-inspired illustrations, the same cannot be said of Datcher's text, which tries to cover too much ground and uses language and phrasing that most children won't understand. A reference to how the "government / sought to cage Black Panther Afeni Shakur" doesn't elaborate on who Shakur was and will leave young readers confused, as will the highly academic backmatter that expands on the topics mentioned in the text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Despite vibrant visuals, this tale fails to capture the essence of either its child protagonist or its rich urban setting. (historical notes, bibliography) (Picture book. 8-12)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Datcher, Michael: HARLEM AT FOUR." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A758848877/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=194353a7. Accessed 3 May 2025.

Acevedo, Linda J. BREAKING TO THE BEAT! Lee & Low Books (Children's None) $19.95 5, 30 ISBN: 9781643796390

A timid Puerto Rican child picks up the beats and gets down on the streets in the 1970s.

Young Manolo takes in everything in his Bronx neighborhood: Latin boogaloo singalongs, "hip-swaying rumba parties," bass-heavy thrums, and the "zigga, zigga scratch" of DJs on turntables. A refrain appears throughout: "ROCK, ROCK, Y'ALL, AND YA DON'T QUIT!" It's the rise of "HIP-HOP!" and break dancing. The B-boys and B-girls and their dance crews make it look way smooth--in dance-offs where spectators cheer and jeer with bravado--but Manolo slinks away, discouraged. Does he have what it takes? As the Bronx succumbs to the rubble and exodus caused by "corrupt politicians and greedy landlords," Manolo perfects his top rock and six step, gaining a dance crew and a new moniker: Kid Flex. Soon enough, Kid Flex and the Borinquén Breakers make their mark, taking the pulsing beat of the Boogie Down Bronx to new neighborhoods. In this beatific tale, Acevedo serves up a fictional tale rooted in history that pays tribute to young Black and brown breakers. With text full of punchy words and phrases, the author invokes the indelible zest of hip-hop in a way that inspires. Morrison's hazy, graffiti-flavored artwork is spellbinding, with bodies etched in movement that leap off the pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An irresistible beat to get readers on their feet. (afterword, photos, glossary, author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Acevedo, Linda J.: BREAKING TO THE BEAT!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A751049823/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7215a74b. Accessed 3 May 2025.

Harper, Janelle MY BLOCK LOOKS LIKE Viking (Children's None) $18.99 1, 2 ISBN: 9780593526309

A Black child's ode to the Bronx.

The protagonist, who has golden-brown skin and an expansive curly Afro and wears green camo shorts over black leggings, strolls through a city neighborhood, observing all that unfolds. The sounds and rhythms of hip-hop permeate this tuneful narrative as the protagonist plays in the spray of a fire hydrant, shops at a favorite bodega, eats an Icee from a street vendor, and praises the "aerosol masterpieces" (graffiti) that grace the walls of nearby buildings. Equally comfortable on the basketball court and the dance stage, the young narrator stays in perpetual motion, striding, gliding, and bouncing through the city. When the media reports on the Bronx or when people get a "bird's-eye view" of the "concrete jungle," only the negatives surface, but this child sees the community's cultural wealth. By focusing on the child's active engagement with the neighborhood, Morrison portrays the protagonist's excitement for this space and its people in his graffiti-style art. The artist's careful attention to detail and the shifting visual perspectives in action scenes bring Harper's musical text to life. The narrator argues convincingly for the Bronx as "the coolest place I've ever been," where "dreams rise higher than the smog" and neighbors "sparkle under streetlamps."

A culturally rich and beautifully illustrated child's-eye view of home. (Picture book. 4-8)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Harper, Janelle: MY BLOCK LOOKS LIKE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A772515377/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c0aa6fce. Accessed 3 May 2025.

Morrison, Frank WHEN ALEXANDER GRACED THE TABLE Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $19.99 1, 7 ISBN: 9781534488724

James Beard Award-winning chef Smalls, acclaimed author and editor Millner, and celebrated illustrator Morrison team up for an ode to Sunday dinner.

After church each week, young Alexander's whole family gathers on the porch for a sumptuous feast. To prepare, this tightknit Black family crowds into the kitchen on Saturday night; Alexander helps his mother peel eggs, shred cheese, and shell pecans. He also gathers garden-fresh ingredients with his grandfather, who reminds him, "Water and patience--that's all anything living needs to grow." But what Alexander wants most of all is to contribute something of his very own--something his often-preoccupied father will love. When Alexander cooks franks and beans one Saturday evening after the meal prep, his creation is so tasty that Mom tells him to whip up a dessert with which to grace the table that Sunday. Highlighting a young boy's entree into the culinary arts, this delightful tale frames cooking as an important rite of passage--and a way to cement familial bonds. Smalls and Millner's pitch-perfect dialogue imbues the various characters with life. Relying on his signature oil paintings, Morrison adds energy and verve; he captures Alexander's nervousness in an especially captivating close-up of Dad gazing at the child's lemon icebox pie, one eyebrow raised. Dad's appreciative smile and words ("That's somegood pie") say it all.

The joy of cooking--and family--brought to brilliant life. (recipe for lemon icebox pie)(Picture book. 4-7)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Morrison, Frank: WHEN ALEXANDER GRACED THE TABLE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817945755/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9bf26cc3. Accessed 3 May 2025.

"Uncle John's City Garden." Children's Bookwatch, June 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A710638917/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4c0dc28b. Accessed 3 May 2025. "Weatherford, Carole Boston: STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A715353078/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c9240def. Accessed 3 May 2025. "Datcher, Michael: HARLEM AT FOUR." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A758848877/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=194353a7. Accessed 3 May 2025. "Acevedo, Linda J.: BREAKING TO THE BEAT!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A751049823/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7215a74b. Accessed 3 May 2025. "Harper, Janelle: MY BLOCK LOOKS LIKE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A772515377/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c0aa6fce. Accessed 3 May 2025. "Morrison, Frank: WHEN ALEXANDER GRACED THE TABLE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817945755/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9bf26cc3. Accessed 3 May 2025.

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