Tony Medina, illus. by Stacey Robinson and John Jennings. Tu, $18.95 trade paper (176p) ISBN 978-1-62014-263-9
Readers might feel that Harlem high school student Alfonso Jones is almost too good: he studies hard and always returns from his bike messenger rounds promptly so his mother doesn’t worry. But when he goes downtown with his crush to buy a new suit,...
READ FULL REVIEW
Tony Medina, illus. by various artists. Penny Candy (PGW, dist.), $16.95 (40p) ISBN 978-0-9987999-4-0
A baker’s dozen of artists—Cozbi A. Cabrera, Ekua Holmes, Javaka Steptoe, and others—contribute bold and stylistically diverse images to accompany Medina’s five-line poems, which reflect the lives, dreams, and worries of male black children. Boys of
READ FULL REVIEW
Tony Medina, Author, Jesse Joshua Watson, Illustrator , illus. by Jesse Joshua Watson Lee & Low $19.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-60060-257-3
This lyrical picture-book biography of the reggae icon tells his story in verse, from humble beginnings in a small Jamaican village to his glory days as an influential musician. Told in first person (the “I and I” can mean “we”
READ FULL REVIEW
Tony Medina, Author, R. Gregory Christie, Illustrator , illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Lee & Low $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58430-022-9
Medina (Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers) attributes the first-person poems in his prosaic collection to 10-year-old DeShawn Williams, who invites readers to "come see who I live with—/ who I love!" Poet Medina doesn't...
READ FULL REVIEW
Tony Medina, Author, R. Gregory Christie, Illustrator , illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Lee & Low $16.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-58430-041-0
Medina's (DeShawn Days) introduction states that his book "represents one Harlem poet's homage to another," and this compilation exudes affection for the Harlem Renaissance muse. The events of Langston Hughes's life inspire 14...
READ FULL REVIEW
Tony Medina, Author, R. Gregory Christie, Illustrator Just Us Books $6.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-940975-75-0
Tony Medina asks readers to think of those whose Christmases may not be so bright in Follow-up Letters to Santa from Kids Who Never Got a Response, illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Poems written in the voices of (mostly) inner-city kids petition...
READ FULL REVIEW
Tony Medina, Author, Chandra Cox, Illustrator , illus. by Chandra Cox. Lee & Low $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58430-024-3
Preaching community involvement, Medina's (DeShawn Days) well-meaning but heavy-handed story traces a boy's changing consciousness of the holidays: "Christmas makes me think/ of how much better it would be to/ .../ visit a turkey or a...
READ FULL REVIEW
