About the Author
Nikki Giovanni is a Grammy-nominated American poet, activist, and author who has written many books of poetry for children and adults. She is the author of Ego-tripping and Other Poems for Young People, I Am Loved, and Rosa, a Caldecott Honor book. She has received some twenty-five honorary degrees, was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and has been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry. She lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she is a University Distinguished Professor of poetry at Virginia Tech. Instagram: giovanni.nikki
nikki-giovanni.com
Erin Robinson is a Fashion Designer by trade but also a trained fine artist from Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Her daydreamy, magical imagination is inspired by travel, color, texture, the feminine shape and the many shades and coifs of Brooklyn. She currently splits her time between New York City and Washington, D.C. Find her at brooklyndolly.com and on Instagram @brooklyndolly.
Product Description
In this lyrical picture book, world-renowned poet, New York Times bestselling author, and Coretta Scott King Honor winner Nikki Giovanni and fine artist Erin Robinson craft an ode to the magic of a library as a place not only for knowledge but also for imagination, exploration, and escape.
In what other place can a child "sail their dreams" and "surf the rainbow" without ever leaving the room? This ode to libraries is a celebration for everyone who loves stories, from seasoned readers to those just learning to love words, and it will have kids and parents alike imagining where their library can take them.
This inspiring read-aloud includes stunning illustrations and a note from Nikki Giovanni about the importance of libraries in her own childhood.
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—What is a library? "A place to be free." A Black girl with her afro pulled into puffs, an old-fashioned collared dress, white socks, and black Mary Janes helps her grandmother with household chores before running off to the library to read, to dream, and to be fully herself. Later she returns home with an armful of books and helps with chores again before covering up with a quilt and a book to "read…to be another me." Poetic text and evocative, textured illustrations work in concert to show how books and libraries enable people to imagine other lives—including other versions of their own selves. In an author's note, "My Library," Giovanni describes her early library experience in Knoxville, TN, and her first librarian, who helped her get books outside of the "colored" library. VERDICT A must-have for school and public libraries; a joyful promotion of reading and where it takes the imagination, and the resources that support it.—Jenny Arch
Review
“Powerful.... Playful and inspiring. Every lover of books, young or old, will see themselves in this story.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in.... A lushly illustrated homage to librarians.” — Kirkus Reviews
“In this picture-book celebration of libraries and reading, poet Giovanni writes about the Carnegie Library, which she regularly visited as a child. Robinson’s digital art resembles vibrant collages.” — Horn Book Magazine
“Poetic text and evocative, textured illustrations work in concert to show how books and libraries enable people to imagine other lives—including other versions of their own selves.... A must-have.” — School Library Journal
