School Library Journal Review

Gr 4 Up-Wilson's introduction to the first living poet in this series addresses how Angelou's life has informed her imagination, moving from her childhood in segregated Arkansas, where she discovered both the harshness and the beauty of language, to her political and humanitarian engagement as an adult. Twenty-five poems show her concern with the African-American experience from the evil of enslavement to contemporary struggles and achievements. Dignity, pride, and resiliency are at this collection's core. Popular selections include "Life Doesn't Frighten Me," "Willie," "Woman Work," "Still I Rise," and "Caged Bird." Brief captions appear below the titles to aid young readers. For example, before "Caged Bird," Wilson explains that the title is from Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "Sympathy," which Angelou also used for the title of her first book. Footnotes offer definitions of colloquialisms and difficult words. Lagarrigue's painterly artwork uses golds, greens, and violets to capture the luminescent quality of the poems. Sometimes the work recalls the glowing light in a Turner or a Rembrandt, especially the illustration for "A Georgia Song." This distinguished work will be appreciated by those studying American history and literature.-Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.