About the Author

Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She is the author of Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade and the recipient of five Coretta Scott King Author Honors. Her recent books include Printz Honor and Sibert Honor Book Ordinary Hazards; Between the Lines, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title; the much-acclaimed Garvey's Choice; ALA Notables Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and Southwest Sunrise; Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice; and Garvey in the Dark. Nikki lives in Corona, California.



Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Cooper received a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma and, after graduating, worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. His many beloved books form a lasting legacy.

Reviews

In a series of poems, an African American girl sings the praises of her best friend and their special relationship. According to Zuri, the speaker here, Danitra is ``the most splendiferous girl in town.'' Zuri respects Danitra's quirks (she wears only purple clothing) and admires her ability to walk away from boys who taunt her about her glasses. Zuri is, moreover, grateful that ``Danitra knows just what to say to make me glad.'' Grimes's poetry has a very deliberate rhyme scheme, but it also smoothly describes a number of vignettes and links them with consistent themes and characterizations. Issues of race, feminism and family structure are delicately incorporated, and successfully build an emotional connection for the reader. Cooper's misty oil paints depict two proud, happy kids in an often grim urban landscape. Splashes of green leaves and storefront fruit and flower displays further brighten the sidewalks and apartment-building stoops. Though the selection may be especially touching for African Americans, anyone who has a best friend can relate to this realistic but bubbly volume. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)

Gr 2-4-A collection of 13 original poems that stand individually and also blend together to tell a story of feelings and friendship between two African-American girls. Grimes creatively uses the voice of Zuri Jackson to share tales of the girls' moments of admiration, pain, self-assurance, pride in their cultural heritage, sadness, disappointments, play, and their thoughts and feelings about future dreams and aspirations. Cooper's distinguished illustrations in warm dusty tones convey the feeling of closeness. The poignant text and lovely pictures are an excellent collaboration, resulting in a look at touching moments of friendship with universal appeal.-Barbara Osborne Williams, Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, NY