Walter Dean Myers' poem describes Harlem as a place full of sound, color, smells, and feelings. Christopher Myers illustrates the poem with multi-media paintings/collages that feel three dimensional. This book is a celebration of a place that was meant to offer a better life to those who lived there. Some of the references to musicians, artists and political figures might have to be explained in order to fully appreciate the book. Ages 7-9 ( )

This story is set in Harlem where the character is moving to because that’s where the feel a sense of belonging and everyone is like them. The author describes their ride from one neighborhood into Harlem where the scenes and the people where more familiar and you can almost see and feel the different environment by his description of the scene. He describes their pride, their joys and pains, and their struggles while living happily there in Harlem, where everyone relates.

I like the style and language the author uses to describe Harlem because he gives you a visual of Harlem. The illustrations used with their bold colors and precise distinctions bring the author’s words to life. We can all relate to belonging to a particular neighborhood, or group and even though we struggled at times, we were still content to belong to that organization.

This book can be used to discuss belonging to different groups, clubs, activities, or even Families. You could discuss the benefits and downfalls of belonging to certain groups and the feelings involved. ( )

The artwork in Walter Dean Myers book, Harlem: A Poem, is rich in color, feeling and expression. Each page is a beautiful depiction of life in Harlem showing everyday life, yet telling the story of the remarkable people who came from there during Harlem's heyday. From the streets came Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Langston Huges, Count Basie, W.E.B. DeBois, just to name a few. Harlem is a place rich in Black history, where religion was important and music was a guiding force.

The strength of this book is definitely the pictures, which is why it was a Caldecott Honor book. The story, in verse form, was sometimes difficult to follow. I got the feeling that Myers was being deliberately obtuse in an effort to be poetic. I didn't get it. Because the verse is difficult to sort through, this book is more appropriate for an older audience; children who are younger than 7th grade will probably struggle to understand it without heavy interpretation from a teacher or parent.

In my opinion, the strength of this book are the illustrations, and not the verse. ( )

Christopher Myers uses several different types of art techniques to uproot his audience and plant them in Harlem. Myers illustrates scenes of children running through a fire hydrant on a hot summer day, preachers preaching, and ladies singing gospels. One of his illustrations shows “perfumed sisters/Hip strutting past fried fish joints” (n.p.). Although his pictures most often follow the text, the facial expressions he has put on his characters tell the story the best. Most of the faces look withdrawn and show an expression of yearning - a yearning to get out. ( )

The writing is through unrhyming poetry, and is used to describe what Harlem looks, sounds, and feels like. It was a beautiful portrayal, with vivid language. Ther writing style was incrediblly impressive. ( )