Product Description
From bestselling, award-winning creators Renée Watson and Bryan Collier comes a stunningly crafted picture book chronicling the life of poet and activist Maya Angelou.
This unforgettable picture book introduces young readers to the life and work of Maya Angelou, whose words have uplifted and inspired generations of readers. The author of the celebrated autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya was the first Black person and first woman to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration, and her influence echoes through culture and history. She was also the first Black woman to appear on the United States quarter.
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson uses Angelou’s beloved medium of poetry to lyrically chronicle her rich life in a deeply moving narrative. Vivid and striking collage art by Caldecott Honor recipient and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Bryan Collier completes this unforgettable portrait of one of the most important American artists in history.
Maya’s momma was right.
Maya was a preacher, a teacher.
A Black girl whose voice
chased away darkness, ushered in light.
From School Library Journal
Gr 2–6—This in-depth biography in poems, with unsurpassable watercolor and collage illustrations, begins with Angelou's birth in 1928 and concludes with her delivering a poem at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration. Readers will gain an understanding of Angelou from her childhood experiences, excerpts of her writing, and adult accomplishments and friendships (with, for example, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X). Though many details of her life story are not included, readers will be curious to learn more about this captivating person. Collier uses a dim blue-gray to reflect negative events and the feelings that accompany them: at times throughout Angelou's life, "Sometimes bad things happen./ Sometimes darkness comes." "Word-seeds" and poetry pull Angelou from her silence so she can make her voice heard, and the colors lighten correspondingly. Angelou moved and traveled frequently, from a San Francisco nightclub to Harlem's Apollo to a market in Accra, Ghana; Collier's striking market scene uses collage to emphasize foods and fabrics. Portraits of Angelou herself show her solemn, thoughtful, and powerful throughout, finally smiling broadly on the final page. Includes a time line, author's note, and illustrator's note. VERDICT Poetic and superbly illustrated, this tour de force belongs in every library.—Jenny Arch
Review
"Told in a series of vignettes as verse, with Collier’s remarkably textured backdrops shifting as Angelou adapts, changes and matures, “Maya’s Song” is testament to how the worst of life can be the bedrock of beauty and flourishing: 'word-seeds' from 'a whole garden of words, words growing inside.'"
— New York Times Book Review
"Eloquentfree verse poems recall pivotal events in the life of Maya Angelou. Layered illustrations reinforce the weight of words—and their absence. This exquisite tribute to one of America’s most influential poets arrives just in time for young people to celebrate Angelou’s appearance on the quarter." — Booklist (starred review)
"A loving tribute in free verse to a writer who found her home, and herself, in her words." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Collier’s richly textured assemblage of collage and watercolor employs light, pattern, and subtle imagery that add depth to every image... This is a thoughtfully rendered biography of a dazzling figure." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Watson doesn’t shy away from addressing tough topics. Collier’s accomplished illustrations have a strong narrative pull. This eloquent picture book is a portrait of a resilient woman with a deep capacity for using words to find hope in the world." — The Horn Book
About the Author
Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her young adult novel Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017) received a New
