This Is Not A Small Voice: Poems by Black Poets

Gr 1-5–Poems by authors ranging from Langston Hughes to Nikki Grimes focus on Black experiences. From the loving comfort of a grandma braiding a child’s hair to the terror of being a 13-year-old stopped by a cop on the street, the poems cover African gods, historical figures, the environment, and everyday activities, with an emphasis on Black joy. Each spread incorporates one to three poems into full-color, watercolor illustrations. The drawings explode with exuberance, showing people in varying shades of black and brown: children dressed for Carnival dancing on a rainbow; a stunning negative space drawing with the silhouette of a girl filled with nature scenes, flanked by poems on either side; and a few drawings showing only nature or animals. The afterword is divided into two sections; one on culture and connection discusses the African diaspora, while the other focuses on civil rights movements in the United States and United Kingdom. Both sections provide insight and details on some of the poems selected. Indexes by author, title, and first lines of the poems make it easy to locate a specific poem or poet.