The Palm of My Heart

This book gave me hope and sometimes brought a tear to my eye. Poems about the African American culture and how they are comfortable in their own skin and have pride. All the poems are filled with emotions and also heartfelt. A poem states that it is good to be different and you are who you are. Very inspiring and eye opening. This book not only inspires African American people to reach for the stars, but it also inspires all other cultures and races.

I want this book in my classroom. The poetry is simple but empowering, especially for black people, and I think it's incredibly important as race is becoming a more contentious issue and viewpoints about race are becoming more polarized. Most of the poems touch on how beautiful black skin is and the pride these kids take in being black.

This collection of poems was written by many African American students. The main topic in every poem is the color black. Black to them represents so much. The poems vary in representation, yet all of them have a main similarity. The students are proud, proud of their families, their culture, and their skin color as they should be. "My skin is beautiful and I am a child of God." This is my favorite line in the collection. I believe this to be very true. We are all brothers and sisters under God, no matter what variation of color one's skin may be. This collection offers an "About" section located in the back. Each child's name is listed with their date of birth and what they want to be when they grow up. This was a really nice touch and show more allowed me to relate on an even deeper level. show less

If I could rate this book 6 stars, I would. Each poem started with the word "BLACK" in capital letters and bold. There was an introduction page explaining that back in the day, the word "black" was a fighting word. As you read this collection of poetry, each page describes the word "black" as beautiful, courageous, powerful, something to be very proud of. I loved this one.

A collection of poems written by many young African American students, it explores the meaning of the word and color "black" and positive of blackness. Each poem explores the topic of black and the aspect of what black means to each student. It's not just something black is associated with unwanted in word and deed, but in a positive way. The style of this book is very narrative in voice and rhythmic. Each of the poem is associated with short simple sentences with emphasis on the word "black" in bold with some phrases of the sentences. It's an amazing technique to engage and target readers to pay attention to repeating and important word of the text and I like how it's incorporate in the poems. All in all, the poems in this book are show more poetic, enjoyable, simplistic, and meaning to learn about the importance of black pride and what it means to be black in a positive way. show less

Beautiful collection of poems written by children on what being black means to them. The poems are honest, positive, simple, and beautiful. These poems are wonderful expressions of children embracing who they are after years of being told to be ashamed of it. I love this book.

Striking, organic illustrations enhance this collection of musings on Blackness and is a rich source of inspirations for younger and older artists alike.