Visiting Langston

A rhythmic poem in praise of Langston Hughes and the writer's craft. The poem is presented by a young girl who is off to visit Hughes's Harlem home with her father. It begins, "Today I'm going to wear/My favorite pink blouse/I'm going with my daddy/To visit Langston's house." Readers quickly learn that, like Hughes, the girl is a writer and resident of Harlem. Powerful in its simplicity, the text explores the child's special connection to the famous man. "He can tell you why my/Dreams run wild/Why Daddy says I'm like/Langston's genius child." Text and illustrations complement one another perfectly as the pages of the book come to life with energetic purpose and delight. Done with a mixture of collage and watercolor with dramatic show more results, Collier's artwork uses muted shades of green, purple, and brown and yet shines with brilliant bits of patterns and textures. While this is obviously an urban landscape, the girl's enthusiasm and talent have universal appeal. Be sure to use this impressive collaboration to introduce young readers to the life and work of the poet (a brief author's note with some dates and titles is included) but be sure it reaches young writers as well. show less

A wonderful picture book introduction to a legendary American writer. Illustrations are vivid and provide readers with much to explore.

Good introduction to Langston Hughes and the impact his legacy has on other African American writers and poets. Would need to supplement this book with poetry written by Langston Hughes, so that students could begin to discover for themselves the hope, dreams, sadness, and desires that his poetry expressed. I like the connections that are established by the girl in this book to a mentor.

Illustrations, like tapestries weaving floral fabrics with scenes from the jazz era and from the young girl's visit to Langston's home, invite the reader's curiosity, but little is actually revealed about the life of the poet. Other than the introduction to the book which supplies a brief bio, we only receive a few similes telling us that his poetry was "like jazz" or "like blues." It leaves us longing for more.
Classroom uses: could be used as an introduction to Langston Hughes --

Visiting Langston is about a young girl who lives in Harlem and admires Langston Hughes and his career. She writes in verse and is a dreamer. Throughout the book the reader can understand her love and admiration for Langston Hughes. It will give readers the motivation to find someone they admire and shape what they do after them, for example, writing poetry.

This is a great book about the day a young girl from Harlem goes with her father to visit the home of her favorite poet, Langston Hughes. The young girl admires the life of her favorite poet throughout the book by adding some of her own poetry. The young girl writes poems about the things she loves in life, her mommy and daddy, hop-scotch, and double-dutch. The young girl makes it very obvious throughout the book that Langston Hughes is her hero. The pictures capture the young girls excitement as she fulfills one of her dreams of visiting the home of Langston Hughes. This is a very inspirational book.

Visting Langston, a poem written by a girl when she visits the historic African American poet Langston Hughes. Through out the poem the girl express how much she is like Langston and being proud of her culture and neighborhood. This is a great alternative approach into African American literature. This poem offers students a different way of expressing themselves through writing. Furthermore, it also shows to take pride of where you are from. At the end of the poem the girl directs her thoughts to Harlem, a Predominantly African American community. Another "the lines", message the love between a little girl and her father.

Our unnamed narrator clearly is thrilled about visiting the home of her hero, Langston Hughes. She tells us about him and who he was (in neat rhyming verse), and also about herself and her own poems.

Short, upbeat - suitable for older children learning poetry or about black history, and for younger children as well. Even a very small child should be able to sit through and understand this one.