Visting Langston (9/28/2010)

Title: Visiting Langston
Author: Willie Perdomo
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Type: Picture Book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Ages: 5-9

Summary: A poetic tale about a little girl who is going to visit the house of Langston Hughes with her daddy.

I really enjoyed this book because it brought me back to when I was a little girl and my favorite person in the world was Michael Jordan. I wanted to be a famous basketball player just like him. I would spend hours upon hours reading books about Michael Jordan and also practicing so I would have a jump shot just as good as his. This little girl loves Langston Hughes and poetry and even tells the story in poetic rhymes. You can feel her excitement in every page. It makes me wonder how excited I would have been as a child if I ever met Michael Jordan. To me this book is more about the emotions I feel about my childhood rather then the content of the book. Also, the illustrations in the book are absolutely phenomenal. Every page is filled with collage artwork that has so much detail!

A review by Kathleen Karr states,
 "Coretta Scott King Awardee Bryan Collier's watercolor and collage illustrations match the feeling of Perdomo's words. His images are riff with emotion rather than realism. The little girl's pink-striped shirt and her daddy's faux alligator jacket add to the color of the place-and to each of them as individuals. This is a book filled with pride; a book meant to give pride. A prefatory Author's Note gives a brief biographical sketch of Hughes, which emphasizes his motivations as a writer."

I couldn't agree more with this review. The book would be totally different if it wasn't for the water color and collage illustrations that Bryan Collier provides. Also, the author's note in the beginning that gives a background on Langston Hughes, helps add character to the story. I don't think you would get as much emotional impact if you didn't have a background and realize how much poetry impacted Langston live. Also, the author's note seems to be written in simple words so that children can understand it too.