From the first known African American poet, Lucy Terry, to the recent poet laureate Rita Dove, I, Too, Sing America captures the enormous talent and passion of black writers. This powerful and diverse collection spans three centuries of poetry in America as poets bare their souls, speak their minds, trace their roots, and proclaim their dreams in the thirty-six poems compiled here. The voices of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, W.E.B. Dubois, and Gwendolyn Brooks, among others, create an energetic blend of tone and tempo, ardor and awe. From lamentations to celebrations, these poems reveal the ironies of black America, juxtaposing themes of resistance and hope and reconciliation, hope and despair.

Each poem is further illuminated with notes, a brief biography of the poet, and stunning visual interpretations. Clinton and Alcorn have created a stirring tribute to these great poets, as well as a remarkable book that will move any reader.

- The Publisher

A splendid, rattling good collection of African-American poetry. Represented are 25 poets (and 35 poems), some of whom are household names‹-W.E.B. Du Bois, Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri Baraka, and Langston Hughes. There are examples of the influential Harlem Renaissance poets‹-Angelina Weld Grimké, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Jean Toomer, for example, and the first known poem composed by an African-American, Lucy Terry's "Bars Fight." The brimming anger of James M. Whitfield comes through, along with the injustice of lines that had to be transcribed by others because African- Americans were denied by law the right to put poetry to paper. Clinton includes short biographical sketches and critical snippets on every poet, and these only further the impact of the tragic, warm, sad, and ferocious voices of great presence that survived beyond all odds. Acorn's elegant illustrations have an expressiveness that honors the words. (Poetry. 10+)

- Kirkus Reviews

Alcorn's magnificent work is, at once, simple and sophisticated in its interpretation of the mood, theme, and style of the poetry. Solid, eloquent, and insightful, this anthology of poetry is destined to be a treasure in family libraries.

- Stephanie Loer / The Boston Sunday Globe ©

Each poem is illustrated on the facing page with one of Alcorn's strong, colorful, and imagistic paintings (reminiscent of the work of Aaron Douglas and the Harlem Renaissance). This artwork, as well as the taupe patterned block prints make this book a truly beautiful interpretation of the collection. This title could serve as an introduction to Arnold Adoff's The Portry of Black America (Harper, 1973) and I am the Darker Brother ( S&S, 1997) or stand alone in any collection.

- Nina Lindsay / School Library Journal ©

When one is given a gift of poetry, it is sometimes hard to define the characteristics that distinguish it from every other anthology in its category. In the case of this splendid group of poems by African American writers, the special qualities virtually leap off the page and demand to be noticed. Notably, there is the strong appeal of the illustrations by Stephen Alcorn. Softly colored, but strongly evocative, these pages perfectly complement the poems they describe with impressionistic images.

- Trina Heidt / Children's Literature ©

Answering Walt Whitman's rangy celebration of white Americans, this thoughtfully selected, elegantly illustrated anthology of poems by and about black Americans offers a motherlode of perceptions and precepts. It spans nearly two centuries of verse, beginning with former slave Lucy Terry's verse about an Indian ambush and concludes with the Langston Hughes poem that gives the extraordinary book its title. A treasure. Ages 5 and up.

- The Detroit News

Featuring twenty-five of America's finest poets, this is a very important book, not only for African American children, but for all children. These are our poets, the poets of America. With notes on the poems, brief biographies of the authors and incredibly moving and evocative illustrations, this is a wonderful - and necessary - book.

- The White Rabbit Children's Book Store ©

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Recipient of the prestigious Bank Street College Award for Poetry.

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Selected for VOYA's list of "Best Books-in-the-Middle".

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Selected for the Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best List for 1998"

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Original art chosen for inclusion in "The Original Art '98" Society of Illustrators Show,
a juried exhibition featuring the best in contemporary illustration.

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Chosen by The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
During 1998, more than 750 titles were submitted by publishers, librarians, and readers for consideration as best books for young adults for the year. This list was narrowed by the fifteen member committee to 229 nominees and from this group, 71 titles were chosen as satisfying the requirements of both good literary quality while maintaining a popular appeal to young adult readers, ages 12 - 18. The Best Books list includes 51 fiction and 20 non-fiction with topics running the gamut from poetry and humor to adventure and survival stories from the Holocaust.

Illustrator's Note to I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry