Review by School Library Journal Review
``ever been kidnapped/ by a poet sic'' asks Nikki Giovanni at the end of this book, a slim, attractive volume of 85 poems about love, families, politics, injustice, and growing up by both unknown (children and young adults) and familiar (Maya Angelou, Anne Sexton) writers of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In the introduction, Agard expresses a wish to capture the interests of teenagers who don't like poetry by presenting them with works relevant to their lives. The bulk of the poems are from the last couple of decades, and of the older ones, only one might be considered overexposed--Gwendolyn Brooks' ``We Real Cool.'' Some entries have the cadence of dialect or patois , and some are song lyrics (Eddie Grant's ``Electric Avenue''; Bob Marley's ``Sun Is Shining''). The quality of the poetry is uneven, but there is an overall immediacy conveyed, connecting to real people and real life and creating a collective voice that will grow on readers. The design complements this, looking jumbled at first and reminiscent of ``50s cool,'' but the different type sizes and styles, and varied black-and-white graphics (woodcuts, collage, ink, and abstract drawings) give a lively, kinetic feel to the book. As well as enjoyable recreational reading, the collection may be used to inspire creative writing classes, sitting comfortably on the shelf with Paul Janeczko's collections. A few class members might even be kidnapped. --Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery Co. Dept. of Public Libraries, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Less accomplished verse by unknown writers suffers in comparison to powerful, moving selections from poets such as James Berry, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni. This collection, which represents a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, shows great diversity in subject matter and inspiration but is hindered by its cluttered appearance, hodgepodge of typefaces, and off-putting, scratchy illustrations. An uneven effort with a unique point of view. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Agard's no-nonsense, straightforward, yet hip introduction sets the tone for this British poetry anthology: ""Poets come from all sorts of cultures and are inspired by all sorts of things--from a tiny pimple to the big wide questions. . ."" That should grab readers, for Agard validates their own journal scribblings even as he sets forth writers from the US, UK, Jamaica, Guyana, India, Scotland, and Chile--e.g., Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, James Berry, Henry Dumas, June Jordan, Bob Marley, and even Yeats--sometimes describing the poets in brief notes. The poems are about almost everything ""Maths"" asks, ""What do you minus/and from where?/I ask my teacher, but he don't care."" ""Mother's Advice to the Bride after the Wedding"" declares, ""Oh, child, behave like the tiger,/Behave like the tiger in the moonlight:/When it is dark, he bites."" Various typefaces coexist harmoniously on small, decorated pages, so that each inviting spread resembles a well-designed underground newspaper of both cosmic and teenage appeal: ""Heaven's in the basement/My mum and dad don't agree/But I'm gonna play my music/To satisfy me."" Amen. Author index; index of first lines. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Review by Horn Book Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
