Exquisite : the poetry and life of Gwendolyn Brooks

Suzanne Slade presents another fantastic picture book about a historical figure. This time the author turns their pen to Gwendloyn Brooks, the Poet Lauret from Illinois, and the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. The book is a great tale. I do think it ends in an awkward place, but it gives the reader an idea of who Gwendolyn was and might make them interested in learning more.

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was born on June 7, 1917, growing up to become the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize. As the Poetry Foundation observes, “Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the most highly regarded, influential, and widely read poets of 20th-century American poetry. She was a much-honored poet, even in her lifetime . . . .”

The author of this book for readers aged 6 and up reports that young Gwendolyn received a great deal of support from her parents, who had a bookcase filled with poems in their home. Each night, her father read some poems aloud, and Gwendolyn memorized them. When she was seven, Gwendolyn began writing poems of her own. Her mother praised her, saying, "You are going to be the lady Paul Laurence show more Dunbar." Dunbar, also a Black poet, was Gwendolyn’s favorite.

Writing became a part of Gwendolyn:

“ . . . It was something she just had to do. She carefully strung words together like elegant jewels in perfect meter and time.”

At age eleven, she mailed four of her poems to a newspaper and magazine. They were published, but then the Great Depression began. Money for the arts dried up, and for a while, all of her poems were rejected. Gwendolyn went to college, still reading and writing poetry, while working at menial jobs to support herself. She married another poet, and continued honing her craft. Eventually, her poems won contests and began to appear in print. She kept dreaming, the author writes, and collected her work into a book which she sent to a book publisher in New York. The publisher loved it, even asking for more poems, and the book eventually became A Street in Bronzeville.. A second book followed, Annie Allen, for which she won the greatest prize in poetry: the Pulitzer.

An Author’s Note tells readers that Gwendolyn Brooks went on to write fourteen more books. In her later years, she taught writing classes and sponsored contests to help inspire young poets. There is also a timeline, list of sources, and bibliography.

Illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera used acrylics to create expressive pictures showing the aspects of Gwendolyn’s life depicted by the text.

You can read some of Brooks’ poems here.

Evaluation: Like other books about persistent girls with dreams who let nothing stand in their way, this one could well have been titled: “Nothing Stopped Gwendolyn!” Young readers will find encouragement and inspiration in her story. show less

Exquisite does a really great job describing the life story of poet Gwendolyn Brooks while also interweaving some of her original poetry throughout the book. The illustrations are beautiful and it even provides a timeline of her life and a full poem of hers at the end.

This book is the true story of Gwendolyn Brooks, a young black girl who loved writing and poetry. She grew up during the Great Depression and this is her story about how she became a famous poet. I would use this book to represent the black culture and help inspire students to dream big.

K-Gr 3—Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize, was determined to realistically
capture the world she saw. Her indomitable pursuit of cloudlike dreams, even as the lights are being turned off at her
home again, is remarkable. Elegant acrylic paintings and text reflect Brooks's exquisite poetry.

This book would be good for intermediate students. This book is "Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks" by Suzanna Slade, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, published in 2020. This book is about a girl named Gwendolyn and she grew up in a lower class family, but even if her family didn't have a lot of money, she still had poetry. She took inspiration from everything around her and wrote them down in beautiful poems. She turned in her poems to multiple places and kept getting rejected and also got rejected by her classmates for her skin being dark. She eventually found success after persevering a lot and won the Pulitzer Prize! Her hardworking had finally paid off. I would for sure have this book in my classroom to teach about show more a person from a different culture and to teach kids that hard work pays off. show less

The author describes Brooks' life in Chicago, from childhood through adulthood, and how she grew up in an atmosphere full of poetry. From a young age, she was inspired to write poems herself, and at age eleven, she mailed some poems to a newspaper. She was published early, and was able to go to college despite the Great Depression; her first book, A Street in Bronzeville, was published in 1945, and she won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1950. Money was still tight - "even two books couldn't pay all the bills" - but no matter what, Brooks kept writing, inspired by what she saw around her.

Cabrera's lush, full-bleed acrylic paint illustrations bring Gwendolyn Brooks' story and poetry to life in this picture book biography.

Back matter show more includes "Clouds," an Author's Note, a timeline, sources for quotes, select bibliography, and acknowledgments.

See also: My Name Is Gabriela by Monica Brown, illus. John Parra show less